


Spider Sense

by kurapikas_chains



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spider-Man Fusion, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hinata Shouyou-centric, Identity Reveal, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Injuries, Pining Hinata Shouyou, Secret Identity, Superpowers, hinata shouyou is spider-man, i actually don’t know if that’s right it just seemed close, kenma is the man in the chair, my hinata brain rot comes to fruition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:00:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26660305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurapikas_chains/pseuds/kurapikas_chains
Summary: Hinata Shouyou is an average high school kid with average friends, an average crush, and (more or less) average grades.But the spider that bit him was anything but average.Now Hinata is struggling with a crush who seems to hate him, a best friend finding out his secret, and the fate of Tokyo on his shoulders.How is he supposed to pine over the stupid setter from the volleyball team if all the villains in Japan show up on his front door step?rating is for language
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 112
Kudos: 384
Collections: kghn fics :)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> alright! this baby has been rotting in my brain since the match against johzenji. terushima made one (1) comment about spider-man hinata and it has lived rent free in my head ever since. 
> 
> this is gonna be plot based as well as romance based. just know it’s not gonna be Only romance, i actually have a whole arc planned out :-) 
> 
> if you’re here from one of my other works, hello and welcome back! i will not be posting this as often as i did the other ones, because this flows better with longer and more intricate chapters. thank you for your patience!!
> 
> this is either gonna be the best thing i’ve ever written, or it’s gonna be the worst. let’s find out together, shall we?

Hinata Shouyou sat with a huff and dangled his legs off the side of the building. He leaned back on one hand and pulled his skin tight mask off with a sigh of satisfaction. 

No one in the superhero comics ever warned him about how _hot_ wearing a mask in the summer could be. The rushing wind ran fingers through his bright, fluffy hair, nearly drawing a moan from deep in his throat. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, relishing in the way the cool summer night breeze danced over his warm cheeks. 

Hinata opened his eyes after his body temperature had dropped back to normal and gazed out across the city. From where he was sitting, he could see the entire city of Tokyo sprawling out in front of him, streets and avenues snaking their way through hills and valleys. 

When Hinata was young, his father had died, so his mother had moved him and his sister, Natsu, into a small apartment downtown. It was a big downgrade from their house in the suburbs and she had apologized over and over, constantly trying to make it up to them somehow. 

But Hinata had been ecstatic. 

He’d spent every waking moment on the fire escape by his bedroom window, and by the time he was ten, he’d learned how to sweet talk the landlord into letting him onto the roof whenever he wanted to. 

It was a risk, going there now. He knew that the door stayed unlocked during the day for residents who needed a smoke break somewhere that wasn’t their apartment. And there Hinata was, sitting in his skintight suit with his very recognizable hair on full display. 

But Hinata was bone tired. He honestly couldn’t fathom getting his ass back to Karasuno to change into his day clothes, so he’d decided to come back here. His bedroom window faced a set of rolling hills that were currently uninhabited, so Hinata just rolled his neck and scaled the wall down to the fourth floor, careful to avoid the windows.

He glanced into his window to confirm that his mother wasn’t dropping off his laundry or anything before he jumped onto the fire escape and climbed through. 

He immediately locked his door to ward against the prying eyes of little sisters, before falling face first onto his bed. In the back of his mind, he knew that he should get out of his suit before his mother or sister came barging in, but he could feel his exhaustion in his bones. 

With a huff, Hinata reached behind his back and unfastened where the fabric came together at the nape of his neck and slowly peeled it off, sighing when he was left standing in his boxers. 

He threw on a shirt that looked like the one he’d left the house in that morning, similar enough so that his mom hopefully wouldn’t notice that he’d changed as he made his way into the small kitchen, where she was helping his sister with some homework. 

“Shouyou! I didn’t see you come in!” His mother said when she saw him. Hinata just lifted a hand in greeting and started picking at the pot of curry on the stove. “You look tired, Shou. Was volleyball practice hard today?” 

“Oh. Yeah, it was. Lots of… spiking,” Hinata said, hoping the awkward pause wasn’t noticed. “So I’m just really tired, I guess.” 

Hinata was not on the volleyball team. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, though. He’d practiced and practiced, training day and night, only to be kicked out of tryouts for being too short. He’d never even gotten to play. 

But Hinata knew that his mother would probably have a stroke and tie him to his bed if she found out what he really did after school. So volleyball club became his excuse. It was surprisingly easy to play off bruises and injuries that way. 

His mother hummed noncommittally while she dished Hinata a bowl of dinner. He smiled gratefully and sat down at the table with his sister. 

“Nii-chan, I can’t figure this problem out,” Natsu whined. Hinata took a bite and gestured for her to read it. 

“If Kaito has ten lemons, and he buys five lemons every other day, how many lemons will he have at the end of one month?” Natsu read off of her paper. 

“Who needs that many lemons? The answer is ‘too many’, that’s how many he has,” Hinata proclaimed, eating another spoonful of curry. “Natsu, if I do your homework, will you do mine?” 

Natsu narrowed her eyes. “What would I have to do?”

“A four page paper of the history of Japanese government.” 

“I’m gonna stick with my lemons, Nii-chan,” Natsu said. 

Hinata sighed. “Worth a try.” 

“Don’t speak with your mouth full!” Hinata’s mother scolded. Hinata ducked his head in apology and scarfed the rest of his meal down before excusing himself back to his room. 

He flopped back onto his bed and grabbed his phone from where he’d left it on his nightstand. 

**suga:** _where are you?_

 **suga:** _please tell me you aren’t dead in a ditch somewhere_

 **suga:** _hinata?_

Hinata swore under his breath. He’d meant to text Suga the minute he’d gotten in, but the smell of curry was far too distracting for its own good. 

**me:** _sorry!!!!!!! i was super tired so i just went home i’ll just bring the suit to school tomorrow_

 **suga:** _????????_

 **suga:** _and you’re sure you weren’t spotted?? someone could figure you out if they saw you going into your bedroom window_

 **me:** _it’s fine my window faces a bunch of empty hills_

Hinata snapped a picture of the view for good measure and sent it. 

**suga:** _alright. i’ll tell takeda and ukai what’s going on._

 **suga:** _just don’t spill your bento on the suit or i will kill you_

 **me:** _sir yes sir!_

Hinata set his phone aside and rubbed his eyes. Reluctantly, he pulled his school books from his bag and set them on his desk. This essay wasn’t going to write itself. 

After an hour, he had written two sentences. With a groan of despair, he retrieved his phone and dialed the number he’d recently programmed in. 

After a few rings, a soft voice answered. 

“Hello?” 

“Yachi!” Hinata exclaimed. “Thank God you picked up! I think I might be illiterate!”

“What?” Yachi said. 

“I’ve been trying to do this essay we have in history for, like, an hour and I’ve barely written anything. I’m Japanese, how do I not know the history of Japan?! It’s the only answer,” Hinata explained. He spun around in his desk chair and rolled his pencil between his teeth, absolutely exasperated with the assignment. 

Yachi giggled a little bit. “Why don’t you read me what you’ve written so far,” she suggested. 

Hinata cleared his throat dramatically. “Japan is one of the countries in Asia. It’s had a government for hundreds of years.”

The silence on the other side of the line was deafening. 

“That… That’s it?” Yachi asked. 

“Yeah,” Hinata replied, feeling and sounding defeated. 

“Hinata, I don’t mean to be rude, but we‘ve had this assignment for a week and it’s due tomorrow.” 

Hinata sighed. “I know! I’ve just been super busy lately and I completely spaced out on it until today, and now… Now I’m just ranting to you instead of actually working. I’m sorry, Yachi.”

“Would you… Would you want to come over to my house? I can help you and you can use my notes!” Yachi suggested. 

Hinata literally jumped out of his chair. “Yes! Yes! A hundred times, yes! Yachi, you are my savior! Thank you so much! If you text me your address, I’ll be there as soon as I can!” 

Yachi agreed and hung up, leaving Hinata to shove his various books and papers back into his school bag. 

“Hey, Mom?” He asked when he entered the living room. “I’ve got this paper due and I’m not doing well, so I’m going to a friends house who’s gonna help me. I’ll be back!”

“Shouyou! I don’t want you cycling after dark! Come home before then!” She responded from where she sat at her computer. “There are dangerous people out there, Shou.” 

Hinata tried to keep his expression serious as he nodded. He didn’t bring up the time that he had actually been the victim of an attempted mugging a few weeks ago. The look on the guy's face when he realized a shrimpy fifteen year old could pack a superhuman punch was so satisfactory, Hinata almost wished someone would try it again. 

He grabbed his bike from the rack outside the apartment building, despite the fact that he could probably run there and make it in the same amount of time. But he had to keep up appearances. 

His tired legs protested against the massive hill between him and Yachi, but he endured and was knocking on her door ten minutes later. 

Yachi opened the door a little meekly, but smiled when she saw Hinata. 

“Yachi! I don’t think you understand how much I appreciate you doing this for me! I owe you one!” Hinata exclaimed. She shut the door behind him as he slipped his shoes off with a “pardon the intrusion,” thrown to the house. 

“My mom isn’t home. She works late a lot,” Yachi said as they made their way through the house to Yachi’s room. Yachi took a seat at her desk and Hinata sat on the hardwood floor and pulled out his computer, the blank page already staring at him the second he opened it. 

“It’s like it’s mocking me,” he said dourly. Yachi laughed and handed him a small stack of color coded notes. 

“Yachi, how are you so organized?” Hinata complained as he sifted through the pile of rainbow writing. 

The night passed without much fanfare, just Hinata not understanding important concepts and Yachi not understanding how he was still passing his classes. 

There was one particular conversation, however, that got Hinata’s heart racing. 

After a few moments of quiet, Yachi had spun around in her chair and leaned forward. “So, Hinata. I feel like I always see you running off after school, but you aren’t in any clubs. Where do you go?” 

Hinata froze. He couldn’t exactly say, ‘Well, Yachi, I’m actually going off and fighting crime as a superhero. No big deal.’ That was not something you dropped on your friend of roughly a month. 

Hinata hadn’t even told his best friend, who he’d known since childhood. His identity was a secret from the public, and it would stay that way. 

“If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you had a secret identity or something!” Yachi laughed. 

Hinata tried to laugh with her, praying to any available deities that it didn’t sound too forced. 

“Oh, no, I have an… internship. Downtown. At a tech company,” Hinata stuttered. 

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but you don’t seem to be the type who wants to work in tech, Hinata.”

“Oh, I’m not. I mostly do, like, sorting stuff. Organization. And moving boxes. That kind of stuff,” Hinata said. It was a shitty lie, but Yachi seemed to believe him and that was the end of the conversation. 

By the time Hinata was putting his final touches on his paper, Yachi’s mom was calling out from the front door. 

“Honey, I’m home!” 

With a sharp rap on Yachi’s door, she was entering without waiting for permission. 

“I saw the shoes by the door, hello Kiyo- Oh! You aren’t who I expected you to be!” Her mother said. She was a very put together woman with long hair, a made up face, high heels, and a business suit. Hinata suddenly became painfully aware of the mass of orange fluff he called hair and how messy he must’ve looked in comparison to her. 

“I’m Hinata Shouyou! Yachi was helping me write an essay, but we’re just wrapping up now. I have to be home before dark,” Hinata said, standing up to shake her hand. 

“Alright, Hinata-kun. Get home safely, okay?” She said, smiling softly. Hinata nodded and excused himself to the front door. 

The ride back to his house was nice, the sun setting in front of him and the weight of overdue school assignments lifted from his shoulders. He coasted down the hill that had tormented him in the way over, relishing in the speed he gained and the way the wind whipped through his hair. He stood on his pedals as he raced through the side streets of Yachi’s neighborhood, something about going so fast just feeling _right._

He couldn’t explain it, but even as a child, all Hinata had wanted to do was go _faster,_ jump _higher,_ climb _farther._ Some innate urge deep inside of him pushed him forward. 

Then he’d been bitten by a spider. 

He had barely noticed at first, just a creepy crawly feeling on the back of his neck. He’d brushed it off as a stray hair or a breeze and continued about his day. His mother had been worried, inquiring about the bump on his nape, but he brushed her off, too. _Probably a mosquito,_ he’d said. 

He’d woken up the next morning extremely sore and horribly ill. The first thing he did was run to the bathroom and hurl the previous night’s dinner into the toilet. His mom made him stay home and he had just laid there in his bed, sweaty and nauseous and sore, until suddenly, it stopped. 

And Hinata felt invincible. 

Then he’d accidentally yanked his bedroom door off of it’s hinges. It had taken him quite a while to adjust to his newfound strength, which made for a lot of snapped pencils and ripped t-shirts, which had been tough to explain away. 

Hinata felt that strength as he cruised down the hill, letting out a whoop of satisfaction at the speed. 

He skidded to a stop outside of his building, nodding to the person tying their bike up at the other end of the rack. 

The sun was just dipping below the horizon as Hinata dashed up the flights of stairs to his apartment. 

His mother was still at her computer when he gingerly opened the front door, waving a hand in acknowledgement without looking up from her work. 

He walked past Natsu at the kitchen table, hopefully not still figuring out Kaito and his lemons. But she took after her brother when it came to academics, so it was a serious possibility. 

Hinata changed into his sleepwear without really thinking about it and, despite it only being around nine, fell fast asleep. 

—————

“Kenma!” 

The boy turned his head to face Hinata, who was biking towards him at full speed. Kenma didn’t even flinch as Hinata skidded to a stop mere feet from him, fully used to his morning antics.

“Kenma!” Hinata repeated, speaking at a regular volume this time. 

“Hi, Shouyou,” Kenma replied, albeit much more subdued than Hinata. He had his phone in his hands and the screen was flashing with some kind of victory screen. 

“Guess what? Yachi helped me finish my history essay last night so I’m totally gonna pass! It was touch and go for a while, but considering she wrote, like, half of the words, I think I should be good!” Hinata proclaimed, locking his bike to the rack. 

“She probably wrote more than half,” Kenma said. Neither his tone nor his expression changed, but Hinata knew it was a joke. They hadn’t been friends since childhood just for Hinata to not understand his humor. 

“So rude, Kenma! I’ll have you know that I wrote a solid fifty percent of those words!” Hinata rebutted. 

“Fifty percent of the title, maybe.” 

Hinata scoffed indignantly as they made their way through the crowd of students in the entry hall. He dropped Kenma off at his computer science class, earning a slap on the wrist when he tried to hug him goodbye. 

Hinata’s first class of the day was history. His teacher, a young woman fresh from university, who really didn’t have complete control over the class of fifteen year olds was very pleased (and a bit startled) when Hinata slam dunked his essay onto her desk. 

He tried to take notes on the assigned reading, but he was distracted. He could practically feel his suit sitting in the bottom of his school bag, like it was emitting sound waves at a frequency only Hinata could hear. It very well could be, to be frank. Hinata still wasn’t exactly sure how much his body had changed since he was bitten. 

He was ten times stronger, ten times faster, healed unbelievably quickly, his reflexes were insane, and he had a sixth sense for danger. He also started craving American hamburgers, but he wasn’t positive that that was related to the spider bite. 

He could also stick to walls. Which was absolutely sick, and also took a lot of getting used to. Once, he’d woken up hanging from his ceiling and was so startled that he’d fallen to the floor and banged his knee so hard he’d limped for two days. 

He’d been trying to test his sticking ability by climbing a real building when he’d misstepped and crashed head first into Karasuno Tech Inc.‘s headquarters. That was when he’d met Takeda and Ukai, and their assistants, Suga and Daichi. He couldn’t exactly make an excuse for why he’d been crawling around their windows in a ski mask- to preserve his identity, of course. Who would want to be friends with the spider freak? - so he’d told them outright what had happened to him. 

Hinata figured, if they were smart enough to run a fancy tech company, they were smart enough to help him figure out what the hell had happened with him. 

And they were. Those four men were some of the most intelligent, competent people Hinata had ever met in his life. After an array of scans and blood tests, Takeda had given him a lengthy explanation that he’d immediately forgotten. He’d gotten the gist of it though. 

Superpowers. 

Nothing like flying (but that would be _awesome)_ , but increased strength, speed, agility, reflexes. Crawling around the ceiling like a spider. 

Hinata sighed, trying to refocus on the page before him. He’d been staring at the same sentence for a while now, not quite understanding it’s meaning. Maybe that was because he wasn’t actually reading it. 

The bell rang before he could finish the page, despite the fact that he was supposed to have read five. 

“Hinata-kun?” He spun around to see his teacher waving him towards her desk. 

Immediately his heart started to pound and his palms felt sweaty. 

“Oh, don’t worry. You aren’t in trouble, Hinata-kun. I just called you over to say that I started reading your essay and I wanted to let you know that it’s very good. You’re really improving, I can tell,” she said, smiling. 

“Thank you, sensei!” Hinata exclaimed, bowing a little before dashing out the door before his conscious could expose him for barely doing the work on that essay. 

_Yachi is in my next class! I’ll just thank her again then. That’ll make me feel better._

With his mind made up, Hinata pushed his way through the crowd to his next class. He spotted Yachi sitting at a far table and plopped down next to her, grinning. 

“Yachi! Mei-sensei told me my essay was really good!” He exclaimed enthusiastically. “So I thought I’d tell you, ‘cause she’s really complimenting you, too!” 

Yachi grinned back. “That’s great, Hinata! Has she graded it already?” 

“Oh, no. She called me to her desk after class to tell me that she was proud of my ‘improvement’. Probably because you’re smarter than me,” Hinata said, dropping his head onto folded arms and looking up at her. 

Yachi blushed. Hinata was about to say something else when he was rudely interrupted. 

“That’s my seat, dumbass. Do you know what assigned seats are?” 

Hinata looked up and flinched at the murderous look on the boy’s face. 

Kageyama Tobio, first year starting setter for the the Chihaya High School volleyball club. 

Totally attractive. Totally an asshole. 

Totally hated Hinata. 

“Well? Are you gonna stare at me like an idiot or are you gonna move?” 

Hinata squeaked and hopped off the chair. “Sorry! I’ll talk to you later, Yachi! Thank you again!” 

Hinata dashed to his seat a couple rows forward and sat with a huff. The boy on his right, Yamaguchi, looked at him curiously. 

“Are you okay?” He asked in a whispered tone. 

Hinata nodded. “He’s terrifying! I thought he was gonna punch me!” 

Yamaguchi stifled a laugh. “I thought so, too!” 

Hinata snuck a glance behind him to where Kageyama sat, glowering at his pen. Yachi looked positively petrified sitting next to him. 

Hinata remembered the look on her face when the seats had been assigned. All the blood had drained from her cheeks and she had blinked over and over again until Hinata had had to push her gently to her seat. At the very least, Kageyama never spoke to her. 

He never spoke to anyone, really. 

So Hinata didn’t understand why he got butterflies every time he saw the dark haired boy. It was just something that _was,_ not something that could be explained. 

So if, at the end of the lesson, Hinata flitted back over to Yachi’s table to chat, it was purely because he wanted to speak with his friend, _not_ because he wanted to be near Kageyama. 

At least, that was what he told himself. 

The rest of the day passed quickly, his suit feeling like a fifty pound weight in Hinata’s school bag. Every time anyone would so much as glance his way, he would be overcome with feelings of panic, convinced that they knew his secret. 

He spent most of his classes in a state of subtle paranoia. 

When Hinata dashed out of the front doors, he automatically cast a glance to the second gym, where an open door gave a window into the room beyond. He could see them in there. The volleyball team. Where his mother assumed he would be. It was a good thing she was far too busy to ever try to see the games. 

As he biked through the streets of Tokyo, Hinata wondered what his life would have been like if he’d gotten on the team. Maybe he wouldn’t have been home to have been bitten, content to live his life without the knowledge of radioactivity and sixth senses and crazy techno suits. 

But maybe volleyball could have been his superpower. Maybe he could have been crazy good, wowing people left and right with his natural ability.

But he was too short. 

So he was stuck with the regular, run of the mill, comic book superpowers. 

Not that he was complaining. 

He pulled up in front of Karasuno and tied his bike up, pulling open the massive glass door. The doorman recognized him immediately and waved him to the elevator with a smile, which Hinata returned in full. 

The second the doors opened to the thirty-second floor, Hinata smelled burning metal. He winced and slowly made his way to the source of the foul odor to find Suga and Takeda leaning back and tilting their heads in almost identical poses, staring at a shapeless hunk of metal. 

They turned to Hinata in unison and Suga waved. 

“What’s this?” Hinata asked skeptically. 

“I’ve been thinking about your suit lately, Hinata-kun. Something just feels… missing. But I can’t put my finger on it. So I tried my hand at welding, and…” Takeda trailed off and gestured at the hunk of metal. 

Suga nodded in agreement. “Takeda-san is right. Something is missing, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what.” Suga furrowed his brow momentarily before turning back to Hinata. “Do you have the suit?” 

Hinata spun his bag around from his back and pulled out a plastic bag, hints of red and blue showing through the handles. 

“Alright. Is it damaged at all?” Suga asked, pulling out a sleeve to inspect. 

Hinata shook his head. “Nope. If it’s alright with you, can you work on it after I go out today? I’ve been antsy all day and I don’t know how long I can wait!” Hinata proved his point by bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

Suga looked at Takeda, who just shrugged before turning back to his scrap pile. Hinata grinned as Suga handed the bag back to him. 

He scampered off to go change, dodging a sweaty, post workout Daichi before dipping into the bathroom. 

The feeling of the lightweight fabric slipping over his skin was one that would never get old. He grinned in the mirror, despite the fact that his features were hidden under the mask. With a wave at Ukai, who was leaning out the window for a smoke, Hinata pulled open another window and crawled outside. 

He descended quickly, the practiced movement second nature at this point. There had been a time when he was a little nervous to be up so high with no support, but that time had long since passed. 

The moment Hinata hit the ground he was running, hunting in search of something to do, someone to save. He turned the next corner and skidded to a stop. An apartment complex with a crowd of people gathered beneath it, flames licking out of one of the windows. 

“Is there anyone still in there?” He asked no one in particular, just generally shouting to the crowd. 

An older woman turned to him. “We think a couple with a young boy might be in there. No one has seen them, but they’re usually home at this time,” she said quietly. 

There were no emergency responders anywhere in sight, so without really thinking, Hinata was sprinting full speed, scaling the brick wall and slipping through the window. 

He immediately spotted the family, huddled in the corner with bright flames licking through their door, blocking the exit. 

Hinata dashed over to them immediately, kneeling by the woman holding her son. 

“I can only take one of you at a time, but I promise, you will be safe. Okay?” 

The woman nodded, tears running down her face as she handed her son over to Hinata. He latched on like a koala, burying his small face in Hinata’s shoulder. 

“You’re gonna have to hold on super tight, ‘kay, buddy?” Hinata whispered as he straddled the window ledge. 

The boy nodded and clutched him tighter. Hinata grimly let go of his back to swing himself out at gently as he could, doing his best not to rock the boy too much as he climbed down. 

He put him in the arms of the older woman before scampering up the wall again. This time, he held the woman, who held onto his neck in a piggy back. Hinata was almost certain she didn’t breathe until they reached the ground. 

With a deep breath, he was back up the wall and through the window. The man was already standing and Hinata started to make his way to him when time started to slow. 

He saw it all, clear as day. The sweat on the man’s brow, the reflection of fire in his eyes. The cracking of the beam of wood directly above him. 

Acting purely on instinct, Hinata dove forward, shoving the man to the ground and bracing his forearms above him, catching the smoldering beam. 

The man scampered out of harm's way and Hinata let the beam fall with a thud and a hiss before he swung the man onto his back and dropped out of the window, catching himself with his fingertips as he climbed down the wall a final time. 

He set the man down with a sigh and watched, satisfied as the family squeezed each other tightly, grateful merely for the fact that they were alive and together. 

Hinata used the opportunity to slip away and check his arms. The minute he looked down, he almost hurled his lunch onto the sidewalk. The forearms of his suit were in smoldering tatters and the skin of his arms was red and blistering. 

Hinata felt dizzy, like the world was tilting sideways. He staggered a bit, this way and then that, before he closed his eyes and blacked out. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hmmm i wonder how hinata will handle this situation??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i meant to post yesterday but i got super swamped and i had no time to write i’m sorry! i’ll make it up to you all :-)
> 
> thank you for any kudos and kind comments you’ve given! i haven’t had any time to respond yet (i’m going to do it soon!) but i promise i’ve read and appreciated all of them!

Hinata blinked a couple of times, regaining his balance. He’d come to still leaning on the street sign, presumably only having blacked out for a couple of seconds. 

He needed medical attention. His arms hurt like a bitch and every time he looked at the blistering red skin, he would nearly keel over in a wave of nausea. 

With a grimace, he stumbled over to lean against the wall of the nearest building, patting the secret pocket on his waist for his phone, wincing at the pain of moving his arms. 

Shit. 

His phone wasn’t in his pocket, but the pocket was still closed, which meant he’d probably forgotten it in his rush to get out. So now, Hinata was stranded in the middle of Tokyo with no way to get back to Karasuno. At least he hadn’t dropped his phone in the fire. Silver linings?

He dropped his head back and rested it against the wall, trying to think of a way out of the situation. With hazy eyes, he glanced around a bit until his gaze fell upon a little independent gaming store. There was only one of those in the whole city, and Kenma lived right nearby. 

Hinata knew he was in no shape to get back to Karasuno, meaning he needed to call Ukai or Daichi and have someone come get him. 

He could trust Kenma. Hinata knew that, but the pit in his stomach grew exponentially as he dragged himself slowly through the streets, careful to stick to the shadows of the buildings. 

He was almost blind with the pain in his arms by the time he spotted Kenma’s row house. He took a shuddering breath as he started to climb up to the window of Kenma’s second floor bedroom, biting back the scream building in his throat due to the strain on his forearms. 

He peered through the glass to see Kenma, alone in his room, playing a game on his switch. 

Hinata should have known Kenma would have immediately noticed someone peering through his window. He was one of the most observant people Hinata had ever met. 

Kenma’s eyes widened in fear and shock as he stared at Hinata. Well, not _Hinata._ He stared at the masked vigilante that had been running around the city for the past few weeks. Fear and shock were pretty much the correct response in his situation. 

Kenma slowly got up and unlatched the window, somehow sensing Hinata’s intent. Unsure if he would be able to keep holding on to the ledge with his forearms feeling like they were still on fire, Hinata tumbled head first on the carpet. 

“Hello,” Kenma said quietly, his eyes shrewd. Hinata almost laughed at how awkward he sounded. Kenma was socially challenged by nature, something Hinata had dealt with for years. Slowly but surely, Kenma had come out of his shell around him, to the point where now, they shared things and bickered and teased, and sometimes, Kenma even initiated physical contact.

Needless to say it was strange and a bit jarring to be forced back to square one with him in terms of social interaction, but it made sense. Hinata was a friend. The guy in the mask was a stranger. Kenma shook his head a bit and his chin length hair fell forward, covering most of his face. Hinata knew that gesture well. This was Kenma’s defensive stance.

Well, there was no way Hinata was getting out of this without revealing who he was. Plus, Kenma really deserved to know why a masked vigilante was currently sprawled on his bedroom floor. And hadn’t he always wanted to tell Kenma? If anything, this was a perfect excuse. With a hiss and a wince, Hinata reached for his mask and tugged it off, feeling his hair spring back to its usual volume. 

Kenma stared at him. Hinata stared back, still lying on his back on the dark carpet. 

“What the fuck, Shouyou.”

Hinata smiled weakly. “Hey, Kenma.” 

Kenma blinked slowly. 

“Look, I swear I’ll explain everything, I just need to make a call on your phone. That’s why I’m here,” Hinata tried to explain. Kenma slowly grabbed his phone from his nightstand and handed it to Hinata, but stopped abruptly when he saw the state of Hinata’s arms. 

“Shouyou, what the hell happened to you?” He asked, more than a hint of concern coloring his voice. 

“That’s- it’s nothing. Not a big deal. But I probably need it checked out, and I don’t have my phone. So, I decided that it would be better to tell you about… this… than to pass out on the side of the road.” 

Kenma didn’t say anything as he handed the phone over to Hinata, who- after a couple of wrong attempts- dialed Ukai’s number. 

“Hello?” Came the gruff voice from the other end of the line. 

“Ukai-san! It’s Hinata!” There was a beat of silence. 

“Hinata? What the hell are you doing kid?” Ukai asked. Faintly, Hinata could hear the rustle of his pack of cigarettes and the flick of a lighter. 

“There was a fire and I got everyone out, but my arms are burned pretty bad. I can’t-“ His voice faltered. “I can’t make it back to Karasuno on my own. And I don’t have my phone. But Kenma lived nearby, so I made it here and used his phone, but in order to do that… I told him. He knows,” Hinata finished lamely. 

Ukai was silent for a moment, before he bellowed over the line, “ _What?”_ Hinata gingerly held the phone away from his ear as Ukai yelled about the dangers of revealing his identity. 

“Ukai-san, could you please yell at me later? I really… I really need help with my arms,” Hinata interrupted, speaking quietly. 

Ukai immediately shut up. Hinata heard muffled voices from the other side, like Ukai had pressed the phone to his chest. 

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, trying to distract himself from the pain in his arms. 

“Hinata?” Came Suga’s calming voice from the other end of the line. 

“Yeah, I’m here,” Hinata said tightly, gritting his teeth. 

“Will you pass the phone to Kenma-kun? I want to walk him through some simple first aid for you,” Suga explained. Hinata handed the phone over to Kenma without an explanation. 

Kenma listened intently for a few moments before stepping out of his room and coming back with two wet hand towels. 

Hinata hissed through his teeth when they touched his skin, but after a few seconds, he could feel the burn receding, even if only slightly. 

He let out a sigh of relief and Kenma’s face relaxed a little bit as he held the phone back to Hinata’s ear. 

“Daichi’s coming to pick you up and bring you here. We’d like to take Kenma, if he’s willing. Tell him we’ll explain everything there,” Suga said. Hinata agreed, relayed the message, and hung up, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. 

A sudden knock at Kenma’s door had Hinata leaping so fast he left the hand towels behind as he sprung up and attached himself to the wall next to the door. He stayed there, biting back a groan of pain as he pressed further up against the ceiling as Kenma’s mother opened the door gently. 

“Kenma? Tetsurou-kun came by saying you had a test he needed to help you study for, so I let him in! You boys have fun!” She said, before letting the tall boy stride into the room and closing the door behind her. 

Hinata froze as Kuroo sat heavily next to Kenma and flopped down onto the bed, staring at the video game posters on the ceiling above him. 

“Sup, Kenma! Your mom is, like, basically my mom! How cool is… Kenma?” Kuroo asked when he received no acknowledgement. 

Kenma wasn’t listening. He was staring wide-eyed at Hinata, trying to gauge the situation. Kuroo sat up. “What are you-“ 

He cut himself off, staring at Hinata, who was still attached to the ceiling in his skin tight suit, mask dangling from one hand and eyes wide. 

After a second of tense silence, Hinata swore and dropped to the floor, his feet naturally silent. 

“ _Dammit!_ I was doing _so_ good about keeping this a secret,” Hinata complained, walking back to the hand towels and wincing when he reapplied them. 

“What the fuck?” Kuroo spluttered. 

“That’s what I said,” Kenma responded. “Apparently, I’m getting answers from his boss when he comes to pick Hinata up. I’m sure since you know, they’ll want you to come too.” 

Hinata sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Oh, God. Daichi might actually kill me. And if he doesn’t, Ukai will.” He flopped onto the bed next to Kuroo. 

Kuroo looked down at him, disbelief evident in his eyes. 

“Hinata, if I didn’t just see you hanging from the ceiling, I’d think you were pranking me so hard right now. And what the hell happened to your arms? You look like barbecue,” Kuroo remarked. 

Hinata let out a chuckle. “I was saving a young family from an apartment fire, if you must know. This is what happens when you don’t let people be crushed by falling ceiling supports,” Hinata explained without looking at him. 

Kuroo whistled. “Damn. Living up to that vigilante name, Chibi-chan! You know, you might chalk it up to the fact that I’m probably in shock right now, but I’m not really surprised that you have some superhero secret identity, Hinata. It kinda makes sense.”

Hinata glanced up at him. “Really?” 

“Yeah! I mean, you’re always going off somewhere after school, telling people you have some tech internship. Not to mention, I’m in your gym class, and spending your days at a tech company doesn’t usually yield that many cuts and bruises. When you’re presented with the solution, the equation to get there suddenly becomes a lot more obvious,” Kuroo explained. 

Hinata groaned. “I really hope you’re the only one smart enough to think like that, Kuroo.”

Kuroo chuckled. “So, are we actually gonna get an explanation for whatever the hell you have going on? How long has Kenma known?”

“I found out five minutes before you showed up,” Kenma supplied. Kuroo looked between them inquisitively. 

“Takeda-san is super strict about keeping my identity secret. I wanted to tell Kenma the minute I found out, but he was super harsh about it. Well, I guess it all worked out in the end, huh?” Hinata shrugged, wincing when the fibers of the towels grated over his burns. 

Kenma stood up immediately and went to get a fresh set of towels, returning in record time. Hinata flinched as they traded them out for the ones currently resting on his arms. 

They spent the next ten minutes talking awkwardly, with Kuroo and Kenma trying not to stare at Hinata’s burns and Hinata trying not to think about the pain in his arms, squeezing his eyes shut periodically. When Hinata phone buzzed, he instinctively reached his hand out to grab it, but when the skin of his arms pulled taut against the towel, tears sprung to his eyes and he swallowed a cry of pain. Kenma grabbed the phone and read aloud for him. 

“Daichi’s here.” 

Kenma and Kuroo made their way downstairs to offer some excuse like a late night walk or a run to the convenience store while Hinata yanked his mask back on and gave his best effort to climb out of the second story window without dropping the hand towels draped over his arms. The physical exertion sent blood pumping to his arms which made Hinata grit his teeth and try his hardest to do that ‘mind over matter’ thing that Suga was always pushing him on. 

He dropped to the grass with a soft ‘umph’ and tried to make his way to the waiting car as inconspicuously as possible. 

Kenma and Kuroo were already standing awkwardly at the street corner in front of all black car with tinted windows and the insignia of a ‘K’ plastered on the side. The passenger side window rolled down so that Hinata could see Daichi in the driver’s seat. 

“Who’s rooster-head? I thought you said you only told Kenma,” Daichi commented as the three of them piled into the back seat. 

“Kuroo was an… unexpected guest. But we can trust him, don’t worry, Daichi!” Hinata smiled.

“I’m not the one who’s gonna be worried and you know it, Hinata,” Daichi said, glancing back at him in the rear view mirror. 

Hinata let out a long sigh. “I know. He already started chewing me out on the phone,” he complained. 

Daichi chuckled before falling quiet, and the four of them spent the rest of the car ride in silence. When Daichi pulled up to the curb in front of Karasuno Tech Inc. and gestured for the boys to get out, Kuroo shot a dumbfounded look at Hinata. 

“What? You’re closest, you have to move, Kuroo!” Hinata complained. Kuroo jolted and opened the door, holding it while Hinata awkwardly clambered out of the car while trying to keep his arms parallel to the ground, wincing everytime the towels shifted, even slightly. The pain had lessened, but only by a fractional margin. 

“You know, when I realized the internship was a lie, I figured you just made up the company, too,” Kuroo said as they made their way to the front doors Hinata had walked through afterschool just a few hours ago. He had been significantly less injured and significantly more excited then. It felt strange to walk with his best friend through the lobby of the building he spent almost all of his free time in. 

“Kuroo, do you think I’m smart enough to make this suit by myself? I’m literally failing math right now,” Hinata joked, feeling a bit too woozy to be walking so quickly. His head spun as they turned a corner just a hair too quickly. 

The ride in the elevator somehow took forever, and no time at all. Hinata pressed his eyes shut for what must’ve been the hundredth time that night, trying to focus on the meaningless argument that Kenma and Kuroo were quietly bickering about, but in his attempts to distract himself, he only succeeded in focusing on the thing he was distracting himself from. 

By the time the elevator dinged softly, Hinata stumbled out of the door and crashed into a waiting Suga, who just grabbed him around the shoulders and half-guided, half-carried him into the living room, where an assortment of bandages and creams had already been set out on a tray. 

Hinata sank gratefully onto the waiting couch and closed his eyes while Suga worked, trying his best not to cry. It would be so uncool for a vigilante to cry after having just revealed his identity. It would ruin his reputation. 

Not that he really had a reputation to keep up around anyone in the room. 

By the time Suga gently ruffled his hair to signal his finishing, Hinata’s arms were already feeling leagues better. The burn cream had nearly made him moan in instant relief, but he’d kept it stuck in his throat by some force of willpower. 

Hinata opened his eyes to see Ukai standing opposite him, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. 

He closed his eyes again. 

It was too late. He could hear Ukai’s footsteps as he crossed the room and then felt the couch sink in accordance to his weight as he sat down next to Hinata. 

“Hinata…” Ukai began. Hinata sighed and sunk farther down into the couch cushions. “Hinata, I can’t really be mad at you. I’m just glad you’re okay. Suga said you should be back to normal in a couple of days, given your freaky healing speed, so… I won’t chew you out anymore than I already have. I’d rather a couple of your friends knew than have you passed out on the side of the road,” Ukai muttered. He had never been incredible at expressing emotion, but Hinata knew he really meant what he said. He cracked an eye open to see Ukai pulling out his pack of cigarettes, only to have Suga nag him about using the window. 

“Uh, Hinata?” 

Hinata turned his head to see Kuroo and Kenma standing awkwardly by the door. He felt a rush of guilt for completely forgetting about the people he’d brought with him and jumped up. “Sorry! Let me find Takeda-san. He knows more about the science stuff than I do, he’ll explain it better than I could,” Hinata said, making his way to Takeda’s makeshift lab of sorts. 

He poked his head through the doorway to see Takeda hunched over a twisted piece of metal, worrying his bottom lip, sweat dripping from his temples. 

“Takeda-san? I don’t know how in the loop you are, but I’d really appreciate if you’d come explain some stuff to my friends,” Hinata said, hoping he wasn’t interrupting his concentration. 

Takeda looked up and set the tools he was holding back onto his work table, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand before following Hinata back to the main room. 

Hinata completely zoned out as Takeda explained the science side of Hinata’s newfound gifts. He’d heard it all at least five times before and it never made any more sense than it had the first time. Too many compounds and enzymes and synapses and brain juices. Eugh. 

Hinata tuned back in when Kenma started speaking, something Hinata hadn’t expected from him in a hundred years. They were discussing Takeda’s theory that something was missing from Hinata’s suit, and Kenma was giving his take. 

“I don’t mean to impose, but have you considered taking inspiration from the spider? I’m not sure exactly… What if he could swing from webs?” Kenma offered quietly. 

Hinata wrinkled his nose. “Kenma, no! Spiderwebs come from the spider’s _butt!_ I can’t swing around from my butt!” He complained, but Takeda was already deep in thought.

“No, no, that’s not half bad. A contraption around the waist, maybe? Or two, around the wrists?” Takeda muttered half to himself. “But what would the webs be made off? Can’t be too sticky or too stiff…” 

“What if it reacts to oxygen? That way it’ll be compact enough to fit in a cartridge, but we can make it durable enough to hold his weight!” Kuroo interjected. 

Kenma nodded. “Some kind of release mechanism or trigger would be the easiest way to go about that, and something on the wrist would make for the fastest reaction time.”

Ukai chuckled from his place at the window, cigarette hanging from his loose fingers. “Hinata, I take back everything I said about not telling your friends. I’m pretty sure these two geniuses you’ve got here might just save your ass one day.”

Hinata grinned. “I think they’re gonna get along with the team just fine, Ukai-san.”

Suga emerged from the kitchen with a tray laden with tea. Hinata gratefully took his and relished the way the hot liquid nearly burned his throat. Kenma sipped his slowly, obviously lost in thought.

“Takeda,” Kenma said, still staring absentmindedly at a point on the table. “If you’ll let me, I want to take a look at Hinata’s suit. I think I might know how to put a communication device in the mask, so nights like this won’t happen again.” 

Takeda nodded enthusiastically. “Please, do. I’ve been trying to figure that out for a couple of weeks now, but some fresh eyes could be exactly what I need.” 

Hinata sighed and sipped his tea, leaning back as he surveyed the room. Kenma and Kuroo meshed unexpectedly well with the makeshift family at Karasuno, even if Daichi wouldn’t stop calling Kuroo rooster-head. Kenma and Takeda were leaned over a laptop, pointing out things and making notes while Suga and Daichi conversed with Kuroo. 

Hinata flexed his fingers slightly and was pleased to find that the burn in his arms was fading drastically already. With any luck, he’d be in shape to at least try in gym class the next day. He wasn’t sure he could take another day sitting out because of a stupid injury he’d gotten from his work at Karasuno. 

But, to be fair, sitting on the sidelines meant watching Kageyama in action without any of the yelling and anger that was usually directed at him. Times like that, when Kageyama’s face was focused and Hinata was out of his line of sight, he could almost pretend that he was a normal kid with a normal crush on someone who might give him a chance someday. 

But one look at the designs already scattered on the table in front of him and Hinata knew he would never really be normal again. 

Something about that thought made him grin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the utter lack of kagehina in what is supposed to be a kagehina fic lmao. 
> 
> i did say this was going to be focused more on plot than my other fics, so sorry if that bothers you but i’m trying to expand my boundaries! 
> 
> but don’t worry! i have some wonderfully delicious tensions that i am going to put these dorks through in a little bit. do not fear!
> 
> also i’m sorry if hinata’s pain levels are inconsistent in this, it was odd to write because he had to be injured enough to need to go to kenma’s, but not so injured that he couldn’t indulge in some witty banter. sorry if that bugged you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a fancy new gadget for our favorite spider boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh. my. god. i am so sorry i promise i am not dead i was out of town and only had the mental capacity to write one-shots! i just couldn’t sit down and remember the plot of this for the life of me so sorry this is so late!!!!
> 
> that aside, please enjoy!

Hinata absentmindedly picked at the edges of the wrappings on his forearms that showed under his long sleeve shirt. He’d done a pretty good job at playing it off as a clumsy spill of a pot of hot water, and no one had questioned him.

To be fair, it wasn’t much of a stretch. For someone with superhuman reflexes, Hinata could be more than a bit clumsy sometimes. 

He tilted his head and stared vacantly at the soccer match the kids in his gym class were playing, kicking the ball back and forth. It amazed him to no end how they kept the ball in play for such a lengthy amount of time when they never used their hands. The plays lasted so long, too, not like the quick rallies of volleyball. Hinata had never particularly enjoyed soccer, given that there was very little hand-to-ball contact and next to no jumping. What a waste. 

But he had to admit that Kageyama looked pretty damn hot playing goalie. Hinata watched as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, mussing his hair up just right-

“Enjoying the view?”

Hinata jumped and spun around to see Kuroo jogging up to him. Hinata stuck his tongue out. “I was watching the game!” He said defensively. 

“Dude, the ball is on the other side of the court. Good try, though. Really solid effort,” Kuroo replied. “How are your arms?” 

Hinata pulled up one of his sleeves to show the wrappings underneath. “Pretty good. Suga’s done it before, so I’m in good hands. Besides, I heal quick!” Hinata proclaimed. 

“Is that another spider-y side effect?” Kuroo asked. Hinata nodded with a grin. “Why can’t I be bitten by a radioactive spider? That’s not fair.” 

“Kuroo! Get back on the field!” Kuroo spun around at the gym teacher’s yell, waving goodbye at Hinata as he jogged back to his side of the field. 

Hinata sighed and rested his chin in his hand. His arms felt  _ fine,  _ so being forced to sit on the sidelines and watch as everyone else got to run around and expend their energy, while Hinata’s stayed bottled up was torturous.

The class period passed agonizingly slow, but there was only one more class after gym, so if Hinata could just make it through that, he’d be home free. 

Well, if you count Karasuno as home. Which Hinata did. 

The bell rang as Hinata hung awkwardly outside the locker rooms, not needing to change and not wanting to be caught staring at Kageyama’s abs- which were  _ really  _ nice, if you were wondering. 

He made his way to his final class and collapsed in his chair, starling the kid next to him, who gave him a grin after he realized who it was. 

“Hinata!”

“Tanaka-senpai!” 

Tanaka grinned and ruffled Hinata’s hair, which made Hinata laugh and smile widely. He rested his chin onto his backpack and looked up at his upperclassman. He loved class with Tanaka, who played wing spiker on the volleyball team. This was where he got all of his volleyball updates. 

“So, who won the practice match yesterday?” Hinata demanded, noticing the glimmer in Tanaka’s eye. 

“We did, of course! We’re the greatest! No stupid inner-city school is gonna beat us!” Tanaka declared loudly, puffing up his chest. Hinata had guessed the outcome already based on the fact that Kageyama wasn’t playing to kill in gym class. He could get  _ super  _ touchy when the team lost.

“Uwaaah! Really? How many sets did you play?” Hinata asked, eyes wide. 

“Just two! Straight sets, baby!”  Hinata grinned as Tanaka started flexing his arms. 

“Tanaka-san! You’re so  _ awesome!!”  _ Hinata gushed. Tanaka beamed at him and ruffled his hair. 

“C’mon, Hinata! I’m sure you’ve got some super secret that makes you even more epic than I am,” Tanaka said. His tone was joking but Hinata still stiffened for a second. Hopefully Tanaka didn’t notice the straightening of his spine or the gasp that he turned into a cough at the last second. 

“Haha, Tanaka-san! I could never be cooler than you!” Hinata exclaimed even louder as he tried to make up for his previous lapse. 

Tanaka grinned as the teacher called for silence and class began. 

As Hinata was packing his bag back up at the end of the day, he was practically shaking with excitement. A text from Suga had come in half way through class, telling him to bring Kenma and Kuroo into Karasuno to showcase a new gadget for Hinata’s suit. 

His mind was buzzing as he haphazardly shoved papers into his folder, not paying any attention to what he might need later or what he should really just throw away. 

Tanaka stayed at his side as they made their way out of the classroom before they were bombarded by a whirlwind of energy. 

“Ryu! Are you coming for ramen with the team today?” Nishinoya yelled, using Tanaka as a springboard as he jumped up to an astounding height. 

“Of course, bro! I wouldn’t miss it!”   


“Oh, Shouyou! Do you wanna come for ramen with the team since we don’t have practice?” Noya asked, noticing Hinata standing beside his teammate. Hinata shook his head with some regret.

“Sorry, I can’t. Super busy with my internship tonight,” Hinata said. Technically not a lie. Noya and Tanaka gave him identical frowns as they made their way to the front door of the school. Hinata just gave them a rueful smile and prayed they wouldn’t ask anymore questions. Thankfully, they let it drop and started discussing what techniques they could attempt at the next game. 

Hinata nearly jumped out his skin when an arm draped over his shoulder, a drawling voice accompanying it. 

“You ready to go, Chibi-chan?” 

Hinata looked up at Kuroo’s grinning face and smiled, remembering the promise of new gadgets. “You betcha!” 

“What, does Kuroo-san intern with you or something?” Tanaka asked from his right-hand side. Hinata blinked quickly, trying his hardest to come up with an answer. Luckily, Kuroo answered for him. 

“That’s right! What, didya think Karasuno only hired people with a singular braincell? Someone has to do the thinking around here!” Kuroo explained easily, the lie seeming to roll off of his tongue. Hinata sighed in relief. 

“Is that why you never explain what you do there? Do you just lift boxes and shit like that?” Noya asked, his nasal voice ringing through the school’s lobby. 

Hinata looked down, trying to figure out what explanation would best suit his needs. “Yeah, I mostly just do physical stuff, like organization and sorting and things like that,” he finally said. He figured the explanation he’d previously given Yachi would be best because, while it was a bit embarrassing, it was better than two conflicting stories from the same primary source. 

“Don’t be embarrassed about it, Chibi-chan! You are a vital,  _ vital  _ part of Karasuno!” Kuroo declared, squeezing the arm around Hinata’s shoulder in a half hug. To anyone else, it must have sounded like a joke, but Hinata could hear the genuine undertones in his voice. He smiled at his upperclassman. 

“Thanks, Kuroo!”

“Are you idiots coming to the ramen place or what? Oikawa is waiting and he’s getting mad at me for your dumb asses being late.”

Hinata looked up like a deer in headlights at Kageyama Tobio, framed in the doorway with his arms crossed. 

“Why does he look so mad at  _ me?  _ I’m not even on the team!” Hinata whispered angrily in a voice low enough for only Kuroo to hear. Kuroo chuckled, deep and low and Kageyama’s frown deepened. 

“Get me out of here, Kuroo! I think he might kill me!” Hinata whispered, shivering at the look on Kageyama’s face. Even with his abilities, Hinata would still be a little afraid to face off against him, even just on a volleyball court. 

Kuroo laughed again and tightened his grip of Hinata’s shoulder, pulling him away. 

“Chibi-chan and I must be off. Have fun at ramen,” Kuroo drawled. Hinata waved enthusiastically and tried to ignore the fact that Kageyama was  _ still  _ glaring at him. 

Seriously, what had Hinata done to offend him so badly?

“Bye, Tanaka-san! Bye, Noya-san! See you tomorrow!” Hinata yelled. 

“Chibi-chan, tomorrow is Saturday.”   


“Oh. Right. See you on Monday, then!” 

Tanaka and Noya waved back and Kageyama just continued to glare, hard enough that Hinata, superhero vigilante Hinata, shrunk back into Kuroo’s side. Kuroo just laughed again. 

They spotted Kenma leaning against the bike racks on his phone, presumably blocking out the rest of the world. He jumped when they approached him, like a skittish cart.

“So what are you gonna do about the jealous setter, Chibi-chan?” Kuroo asked after they’d collected Kenma and were walking to where they’d be picked up. 

“Wha?” Hinata asked, utterly confused. 

“Kage-what’s-his-face! The volleyball team setter from our gym class!” Kuroo explained, as if to a child. 

Hinata furrowed his brows. “What about him?” 

“Why’s he so jealous? Do you guys have a thing or something?” Kuroo asked nonchalantly. 

Hinata stopped in his tracks. 

“What?!?” You think we- You thought he- We aren’t- He would never-” Hinata spluttered his face turning red. Kuroo’s eyebrows raised as Hinata fumbled for words. 

“I see,” was all Kuroo said. 

“What would he even be jealous about, anyways?” Hinata grumbled, crossing his arms in protest but continuing to walk. 

“Did you not see him glaring daggers at the arm I had around you? That dude was  _ pissed! _ If looks could kill, man,” Kuroo laughed. Hinata laughed too. 

“ _ Oh.  _ You’ve got the situation totally wrong, Kuroo. He’s not  _ jealous _ , he’s glaring because he actually hates my guts,” Hinata explained. “He’s always yelling at me and hitting me and calling me names. I’m pretty sure he’d beat me up if I ever saw him outside of school. I wasn’t joking when I said he might kill me.” 

Kuroo looked at him, tilting his head. “If you say so, Chibi-chan.”   
  
“I do say so.”   


They stopped at the corner where Daichi would meet them and Hinata huffed out a sigh. 

Stupid. To think Kuroo had gotten his hopes up like that. Kageyama wasn’t jealous, and he especially wasn’t jealous of someone hugging Hinata. Kageyama hated him and that was that. Plain and simple, clear as day. 

A dark car pulled up to the car and Hinata immediately jumped to open the door, leaping inside and greeting Daichi enthusiastically. Kenma and Kuroo were much more subdued, but the air of general excitement was almost stifling in the cramped car. 

By the time they were walking through the front doors of the lobby, Hinata was practically bouncing off of the walls in his excitement, talking and gesturing animatedly, not entirely sure that anyone was listening, but enthusiastic all the same. 

He barreled through the elevator doors to Suga and Takeda sitting on the couch, a box covered in cloth between them. Ukai stood against the wall, grinning slyly. 

“You’re gonna love this, Red,” Ukai said, pushing off the wall to stand by the rest of the team. 

After Suga checked his bandages and cleared him to take them off, Hinata was practically buzzing in anticipation, unable to pry his eyes off of the covered box still in Takeda’s hands. 

“Alright, Hinata. I think you’re ready. Go get dressed and we’ll help you with these,” Suga said, practically shoving him into the bathroom with his suit. Hinata changed at lightning speed, his fingers flying over the familiar clasps and zippers. He was back in the living room in a matter of moments, opting out of his mask since there wasn’t anyone in the room he really needed to protect his identity from. 

In a grand gesture, Takeda pulled the fabric off of the box with a flourish to reveal…

Two small pieces of metal. 

Hinata could feel himself deflating at such an anticlimactic reveal, but a jab to the side from Suga had him flinching back into the moment. 

“Are those…” Hinata heard Kuroo ask from behind him. 

Takeda nodded excitedly, holding the box out to Hinata, who grabbed it hesitantly. He opened the lid and grabbed the first of the two pieces of metal, spinning it in his hands. It looked like there was a bracelet-like component and then a piece the stuck out and what looked like a button that would fall around the center of his palm. 

Tentatively, he pulled the first bracelet piece on, then the second. His intuition had been correct. The bracelets wrapped around his wrists, a small compartment he hadn’t previously noticed tucked into the hollow right below where his hand met his arm. Daichi gently guiding his arm so that it was facing an empty wall instead of an unsuspecting member of the team.

Hinata flexed and wiggled his fingers around experimentally, settling on the folding of his middle and ring finger to press the small button as the most natural of ways to do so. With a deep breath and a bite of his lower lip, Hinata gently pressed down on the button. 

A white web sprung out of the opposite end of the bracelet, the side facing the floor. Hinata sucked in a gasp and rushed over, grabbing the foot of webbing from the floor, twisting and pulling it, trying to get a feel for the sturdiness of the web. It could definitely hold his weight with ease. It could probably hold multiple people, by his estimations. 

“The web should disintegrate within an hour. If you keep holding the button on your palm, it should just flow, which, in theory, should allow you to swing,” Takeda explained from behind him. 

Hinata spun around, still fiddling with the length of web. “Swing?” He asked. 

Kuroo nodded. “Think of Tarzan, except instead of swinging from vines in the forest, you’re making your own vines in the city, out of webs.”

Hinata gaped at them. “Are you joking? That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard! Like, ever! In my whole entire life! Can I go try it now? Like, outside for real? Please? Please, please, please-” 

Before he could grovel even more, Ukai was tossing his mask from where it rested on the couch. “Do you think you’ll get hurt?” He asked seriously. 

Hinata shook his head aggressively. “No way! It feels… I can’t even explain it right. It just feels  _ right.  _ Like it’s not something we added, but something that’s been missing this whole time,” Hinata explained. 

Takeda smiled. “Something missing. Guess we finally found it, huh, Suga?” Suga grinned back. 

“Great! Glad that’s settled, but can I go now?” 

Takeda waved a hand. “Be careful, start slow and close to the ground, and please don’t-”

“Got it!” Hinata interrupted, unsure of his ability to stay still for one second longer. He dashed to his usual window and flung it open, tugging his mask over his head and securing it quickly. The extra weight on his wrists would probably take a day’s worth of work to get used to, but damn were they gonna be worth it. 

Hinata swug a leg out and grabbed the side of the building, ending up half crouched against the wall, one hand dangling at his side. 

_ Start slow and close to the ground. _

Takeda would be upset, but Hinata just couldn’t do that. He knew, deep in his bones, that he didn’t need to ease himself in. This would come naturally, he could tell. It almost felt like something he’d already learned and just forgotten. With a guilty glance back at Takeda and the rest of the team, looking ar him expectantly, Hinata raised his arm and pressed the button. 

Then, Hinata was  _ flying. _

He was right when he’d thought it’d be natural. It was second-nature, knowing when to push and release, knowing the exact angle to hold his wrist, the best vantage to turn sharp corners. This was as easy- no  _ easier  _ than walking. Flying like this, like a crow in the skies, this was what Hinata Shouyou had been born to do. 

He’d been born to soar. 

He let out a whoop of delight as he dived through the air, barely noticing the stares and dumbfounded looks the people on the ground gave him. Who  _ cares  _ what they think? Hinata was flying and Hinata was  _ free.  _

He stayed like that, swinging around the city like he had wings for what felt like an eternity.

He let out another yell of victory as he coasted through the air, subconsciously registering that he’d somehow made it back to his home neighborhood through his flight during the skies of Tokyo, recognizing the streets and buildings, but gawking at how different they looked from the vantage of a bird. 

Hinata slowed to a stop as he swung himself onto the top of a telephone pole to rest, breathing hard. He surveyed the empty street, glad there was no one there to gawk or stare. He was briefly reminded of a scene from a tv show he liked where one of the characters had perched on the top of a tower like he was now, keeping guard, much like himself. 

He was just about to convince himself to haul ass back to Karasuno when a piercing cry broke the relative quiet of the neighborhood.

Without thinking, Hinata launched himself in the direction of the scream, swinging to to stop on a tall building, across the street from another roof where a man and a woman stood. A quick glance around told him all he needed to know about the situation. 

A crowd had gathered at the base of the building, but there were no paramedics or emergency responders, and while a woman was on the phone, there were no sounds of sirens in the distance. The woman on the roof was leaning back over the edge while the man stumbled, holding a knife (presumably drunk), waving it around and backing her up even farther. 

The woman screamed again as he swung the knife, and she stepped back one step to far, her dress billowing as she plummeted to the ground, far, far away. 

Just as he had with the man in the burning apartment, Hinata saw the world in slow motion. He didn’t even think as he leapt, attaching a web to a building to the left and running at an angle, giving his swing an arc that intercepted the woman’s fall at just the right angle, scooping the trembling girl into a one armed grip.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, a good idea given that he only had one arm to hold her with, the other preoccupied with launching another web to get them both to the ground. 

He launched a third web, this time wrapping it around his wrist to keep himself dangling as he hung from the fire escape, lowering the shaking woman to the ground gently. She was reticent to let go, but when she did, she was immediately enveloped by concerned bystanders and Hinata was relieved to hear the sounds of approaching sirens. 

The woman would probably be fine. Scared shitless, but fine. Hinata let out a sigh of relief and let himself hang there for a moment, watching the woman slowly breathe in and out. 

What he didn’t expect was applause. 

It started slowly, organically, but built in volume and fervor until the entirety of the crowd was cheering and stamping their feet. That is, except for one person. 

The rest of the world fell away as Hinata locked eyes with the awestruck face of Kageyama Tobio. 

It was a look Hinata had never been on the receiving end of, one of awe and admiration. It almost made him uncomfortable, seeing something so genuine on the stone-faced setters face. That didn’t stop the butterflies from erupting in full force. 

He tore his eyes away from Kageyama to take in the rest of the Chihaya High Volleyball Club, cheering and clapping. 

Shit. 

He had to get out of here before one of the guys he knew best recognized his voice or his mannerisms, which might end up outing him to the entire world, something Hinata wasn’t too keen on. 

With a small wave at the crowd and a final sneaking glance at Kageyama, who had schooled his features back to general disinterest, Hinata let go of his current web and launched another one to the building across the street and pulling, propelling himself over the crowd to a loud gasp (and yeah, he let himself relish that for a minute) before he was off, flying back through the city at high speed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe i love to write foreshadowing hehe 
> 
> thank you all for your patience! school is a real pain right now, so the next update should come sometime this week! 
> 
> all comments/kudos are seen, loved, and appreciated!!! i love you all! go drink some water and get something to eat! stay safe!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> is that... the beginnings of real plot i see?? could it be???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg i’m so sorry i haven’t been updating! school got crazy for a week or so, and i just couldn’t stay awake long enough to write anything substantial, but we should be okay now! 
> 
> thank you all for your patience! i love you all!!

The wind rushed past Hinata as he swung around a tight corner, relishing the way it felt to fly through the city streets. 

People below still looked at him in wonder when he swung over them, but were no longer shocked. It had been two days since he’d revealed his new gadgets to the world and it had been much bigger news than Hinata had ever imagined. 

Kenma had texted him late Saturday night, no text message, just a link to an article. 

**_The Rise of Spider-man,_ ** the article’s headline had read. Hinata had laughed at that, alone in his room. How close these journalists were to the truth without even realizing it. They’d described his new web slingers, as Hinata had taken to calling them, as ‘nothing short of super’ which they then went on to say was ‘fitting for this real life superhero.’ Hinata had nearly squealed at that, but caught the sound in his throat, afraid of waking his sister. 

There was an interview, too, with a weary looking businessman Hinata recognized as the man he’d saved from the burning apartment complex.    
  
_ ‘I owe him my life. If Spider-man hadn’t been there, me and my wife and our child wouldn’t be alive today. He is, without a doubt one of the bravest people I’ve ever met. He caught a burning support beam without flinching to save the life of a stranger.’ _

Hinata had blushed when he read that, the praise feeling a bit over gratuitous, but appreciated all the same. Anyone in his position would have done the same, right? He was given the opportunity to save people, so it would be wrong to not do just that. 

There were some that were against him. They claimed he was ‘unnatural and ‘didn’t belong in this world’. Someone had claimed he was a spy for the Russian government. Everyone still seemed more than a bit skeptical, as well they should be. Hinata wasn’t denying that his situation wasn’t strange, he knew that more than anyone. 

But it didn’t feel  _ strange  _ to be swinging through the city like a bird in the skies as he was in that moment, the wind whistling past his body like music to his ears. It felt right.

He skidded to a stop on the rooftop of Karasuno, not pulling his mask off until he was safely in the stairwell, away from the prying eyes of the public. 

Hinata heaved the weighty door open and stepped into the main room of their ‘headquarters’, so to speak, a greeting dying on his tongue as he felt the heavy atmosphere in the room. The tension was so thick you could’ve cut it with a knife. 

Suga was the first to notice his entrance, looking up from where their ragtag team was all huddled around a tablet on the couch. 

“Hinata… You should see this,” Suga said slowly, apprehension visible on his face. Ukai, Kuroo, and Daichi all acknowledged him with a nod, but Kenma and Takeda stayed glued to the screen, something akin to fear on Takeda’s usually sweet features. 

Hinata tossed his mask aside and hastily made his way to them, peering over Kenma’s shoulder to read the text displayed on the tablet. 

There was a picture of a short old man with a grimace of determination on his face, clasping hands with a much taller, much younger man. The tall man was terrifying, all broad shoulders and strong muscles and scowling features. The headline of the article read,  **_Shiratorizawa Under New Leadership - Will Washijo Maintain His Hold On Tokyo’s Strongest?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_  
_ ** “I… I don’t understand,” Hinata admitted reluctantly. Sure, the man looked frightening, and the older guy had an air of superiority around him, but neither of them seemed like particularly bad people. 

Suga worried at his lip for a moment before Daichi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and a look of understanding passed between them. Daichi looked back at Hinata. 

“Tanji Washijo runs- Well, I suppose I should say  _ ran,  _ Shiratorizawa. They’re a big tech company from up north in Miyagi, so we haven’t seen much of them here in Tokyo,” Daichi explained. 

“My old man knew Washijo well,” Ukai interrupted. His gaze was far off, is if he didn’t really intend to speak. “I guess you could call them something like rivals. That’s why he started Karasuno here instead of Miyagi, so that they would actually get some work done instead of just trying to knock each other down. I don’t know much about Ushiwaka, though. Suga?” 

Hinata glanced down to see Suga with his head in his hands. He sucked in a shaky breath and spoke without looking up from the floor. 

“Ushijima Wakatoshi is a fairly simple man. We went to university together before he moved up to Miyagi, presumably to train under Washijo. He was always straightforward and well-mannered- at least to his peers. He wasn’t incredibly smart, but he’s adaptable and steady. A good leader. But he’s really not the one we should be worried about...” Suga trailed off. Daichi’s hand moved from it’s stagnant place on his shoulder to start rubbing circles on his back. 

“What do you mean, Suga?” Ukai asked, looking more than a little hesitant. Judging by the looks shared by everyone, this was the first they’d heard of it, too. 

“Tendou Satori. Ushijima’s right hand man. I… I can’t describe him using any word other than  _ cruel.  _ He liked to… I don’t know, play with people’s heads. He’d worm his way into your mind with twisted jokes and underhanded comments… He destroyed people. Not actually- though I think he probably wanted to. But he made a dozen kids either flunk or drop out. He enjoyed doing it, too. Him and Ushiwaka are high school friends, thick as thieves. They were still joined at the hip by graduation. Scariest thing about Ushiwaka is how little he cared about the pain Tendou caused,” Suga finished quietly. 

The words stuck in the air, hanging over everyone’s heads like a death sentence. 

Wordlessly, Suga scrolled down the article until it rested on a photo taken of a group of men, all in suits, standing in a line. The tall one- Ushiwaka - stood in the center next to the old guy. The rest of them were all equally serious, one with shaggy black bangs, one with silver hair, one with light brown hair hanging in his eyes, among others. 

Suga pointed with a slightly trembling finger to the man standing to Ushijima’s right. The first thing Hinata noticed was his hair. Bright red and sticking up like he’d just been electrocuted, it drew the eye immediately, but it was not to be outshone by the rest of the man. He was tall, lanky, all long limbs and fingers. 

But the most harrowing part about him was his face. 

It wasn’t an ugly face, it wasn’t even terribly unusual, with two eyes, a nose, and a set of lips.  But something about it was  _ wrong.  _ His smile was more of a leer and it didn’t reach his eyes. 

His eyes. 

They were terrifying. Half-lidded and and bloodshot, there was something about them, something  _ behind  _ them that screamed of danger, of terrible secrets hidden in the shadows. Hinata could feel his pulse start to speed just by looking at his picture. There was an intelligence about him, you could tell from this 2D image that if you saw this man in real life, he’d know more about you than you knew about yourself. 

“Holy shit,” Hinata breathed, not tearing his eyes away from Tendou. 

“Did he ever… Do anything to you?” Kuroo asked tentatively. Suga shook his head and the whole room seemed to let out a breath of relief. 

“No. Me and Ushijima worked together a lot and he never messed with Ushijima’s friends. Mostly kids in the other classes,” Suga said quietly. 

“And now he’s… Right hand man of the new owner of one of the biggest tech companies in Japan. Fantastic,” Ukai muttered, stalking off to go light a cigarette.

“Can’t you talk to Washijo, Ukai-san? Or, what about old Ukai-san? Can’t someone tell him about Tendou?” Hinata asked, but he knew he was grasping at straws. 

“I’m sure Washijo knows. That’s probably why they hired Ushiwaka. They must be some kind of package deal,” Takeda said grimly. Daichi brought his hand to his mouth to start biting at his fingernails while Kenma stayed glued to the screen.

“They’re like the final boss and his dungeon keeper,” Kenma muttered. Hinata had played enough of his games that he understood the metaphor, though it only served to make him feel worse. 

“I don’t understand one thing,” Kuroo started. “How does this affect us specifically? I mean, other than the general societal repercussions of having Creepy Eyes in charge of anything of importance.”   
  
“Ushijima Wakatoshi has a… competitive spirit. He’ll want to take down Karasuno and become the biggest tech company in Japan. It’s been his dream since college. If one of his guys finds out that Tokyo’s new superhero is a part of our team…” Suga trailed off and looked at Hinata. “Hinata would be in a world of danger.”   
  
Kuroo sucked a breath in through his teeth. “Do you really think they’d go that far?” 

“It’s not a question of ‘if’. The second the line is drawn between ‘Spider-man’ and Karasuno, Ushijima will do whatever it takes to bring him down, permanently,” Suga said, his voice deathly quiet. “Hinata would just be a manifestation of our success, something I know Ushijima would get rid of at the first opportunity. And, chances are he’ll have Tendou doing the dirty work.” 

“But… But they can’t get me, right? I’ve got all those- those  _ enhanced senses _ and the special abilities- and the new web slingers! Even if they find out, they can’t catch me, right?” Hinata asked, practically begging for some reassurance. 

Suga bit his lip. “Extrapolating from the trajectory the two of them were on in university, adding in a factor of new team members and Shiratorizawa’s resources… I’d say it’s only a matter of time before they build something that could rival even your abilities, Hinata.”

Ukai spoke up from his spot by the window. “And if they can’t catch you, they won’t just give up. They’ll go after your family, your friends, hell, even your schoolmates. That’s how these guys work, kid. They’ll tear you down one way or another,” Ukai muttered, staring back out the window.

“So just don’t let them trace you here, Hinata. You won’t be anything more than a fly to Ushiwaka if you aren’t connected to us. Worst that could happen is he reaches out to you to collaborate, you turn him down and everything stays normal,” Daichi said placatingly. 

Hinata nodded, though he was far from calm. 

—————

Hinata was freaking out. 

All morning he’d been jumpy and skittish, screeching when his sister tapped his shoulder and banging his head when his mom closed her laptop too sharply. 

The knowledge of Ushiwaka and Tendou just… being out there somewhere hung over him like a rain cloud, threatening a flash flood at any second. 

He barely remembered getting dressed or eating breakfast, the time passing in a haze of paranoia and anxiety. To top it all off, he’d barely slept the night before, dreams of red hair and crazy eyes plaguing him, leaving him panting and drenched in a cold sweat. 

The bike ride to school was blissfully uneventful and served to calm at least some of his nerves, the familiar motions tricking his body into some semblance of normalcy. 

Kenma and Kuroo were both waiting by the bike rack, and all it took was one look at the bags under Hinata’s eyes before Kuroo was smacking his arm and chastising him about getting a minimum of eight hours of sleep every night. 

“You never yell at Kenma, and he gets like, two!” Hinata protested, rubbing the sore spot on his arm. 

“I do too yell at Kenma, he just stopped listening to me years ago,” Kuroo teased. Kenma flushed and ducked out of the way of the hand reaching out to ruffle his hair, diving into his computer science class before Kuroo or Hinata could embarrass him further with their public affection. 

Kuroo dropped Hinata off at his history class, but not before making him promise to try his best not to fall asleep in class. 

And yeah, Hinata tried! 

He failed, though.

The ambiance of the classroom, so full of lectures and pens clacking and students whispering, it drowned out the worries in his head, leaving his mind blissfully empty. 

He was jolted awake by a hand on his shoulder. Hinata pried his eyes open to see his teacher standing above him, admonishments on the tip of her tongue. She paused, studying him, before silently placing a piece of paper on his desk, all reprimandations forgotten. 

_ Holy shit,  _ Hinata thought to himself, staring at her back as she made her way to her desk.  _ Do I really look that bad? _

If all of his anxieties and worries over Ushiwaka and Shiratorizawa were evident on his face, Hinata probably looked like he’d come to school straight from the fiery pits of hell. 

Hinata spared a glance at the paper his teacher had handed to him and did a double take. In bright red ink on the top of his paper was a massive A+, circled once. Next to it was a few words written in elegant script.  _ Excellent work, Shouyou!  _

Hinata grinned. He couldn’t wait to tell Yachi that their paper had scored so highly. 

Movement caught the corner of his vision and with a jolt, Hinata realized that his classmates were already packing their bags. He’d accidentally slept through the whole class. He hoped in vain that he hadn’t missed anything too terribly important.

Considering he hadn’t even unpacked his bag to begin with, Hinata was ready in seconds, so he migrated to a group of girls he was friendly with, all of whom were talking animatedly. 

“I mean, he has to be handsome, right? He has to be!” One of them exclaimed. 

“You’re just saying that ‘cause you think life is a shoujo manga. What if he’s some old guy or, like, covered in scars?” Another replied.

“Psh, scars just make you hotter! Everyone knows that,” a third chimed in. 

Hinata followed the conversation with some difficulty, not understanding the context or the subject matter. 

“What are you guys talking about?” He finally asked when he reached a breaking point of confusion.

“Spider-man!” They all said in unison. 

Hinata blinked. 

“What about you, Shou-chan? Do you think Spider-man is hot or not under the mask?”   
  
This had to be the weirdest conversation Hinata had ever had in his entire life. 

“Uh… I dunno. Isn’t it- Isn’t personality more important?” Hinata manage to stammer out. 

“Yeah, duh. But we’ve established that he’s got a hot personality with the whole ‘saving people from a burning building’. We want to know if he’s got a matching face!”

“I’m telling you, he wears the mask ‘cause his face is messed up!” One of them proclaimed. Hinata winced. 

“No, no, no! He probably wears the mask because evil people are out to get him!”

Hinata froze, all of his forgotten paranoia flooding back in a tidal wave, nearly making his knees buckle. 

Ushiwaka. Washijo. Shiratorizawa. Tendou Satori. Ushiwaka. Washijo. Shiratorizawa. Tendou Satori. UshikwakaWashijoShiratorizawaTendouSatoriUshiwakaWashijoShiratori-

The ringing bell jolted him out of his spiraling thoughts and Hinata bolted out of the door, colliding head first with a wall of muscle. He looked up to see Kuroo staring down at him, a look of concern mingled with amusement dancing on his features. 

“Were they talking about Spider-man in your class, too?” Kuroo asked slyly. 

Hinata gulped and nodded, nudging Kuroo so that he would start walking in the direction of Hinata’s next class. 

“They asked me if I thought he was hot!” Hinata hissed under his breath. Kuroo laughed loudly, drawing looks from all over the hall. 

“That’s gold, Chibi-chan!” Kuroo exclaimed. “What’d you say?” 

Hinata huffed. “I told them I thought personality was more important,” he grumbled. 

Kuroo nodded sagely. “Very wise answer, my friend. Very wise.” 

They walked without speaking for a while until Kuroo broke the silence, his joking tone replaced with something much more serious.

“How are you? I mean, about… you know.  _ That, _ ” Kuroo asked with an impressive lack of subtlety. 

“I…” Hinata paused. He could be honest with Kuroo. “Not… great. I mean, I could be worse, but I wouldn’t say I’m doing  _ good.”  _

Kuroo nodded again, stopping in front of the door to Hinata’s classroom and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Right. You know you can always talk to me, right? I might not really get it, but I can try. Kenma and I, we’re here for you. So are Suga, and Daichi, and Takeda and Ukai. You aren’t dealing with this alone. This isn’t just on your shoulders. We’re in this together.”   
  
Hinata smiled weakly up at him, nodding. He wasn’t sure he trusted his vocal cords, so he just gave Kuroo a tight hug before waving him off and stepping into his science classroom. 

He was about to head over to sit in the seat next to Yachi, excited to tell her about the grade he’d received, but paused when he realised she wasn’t there. Instead, in her place was a tall boy with perfectly coiffed hair and an impeccably pressed uniform, chatting with Kageyama. Kageyama was glaring at his desk like it had committed some violent crime, so Hinata made a mental note to steer clear. 

Finally, he saw Yachi sitting in Hinata’s assigned seat next to Yamaguchi, so Hinata jumped onto to table and sat with his back to Kageyama instead.

“Yachi, why is Oikawa Tooru in your seat?” Hinata whispered. Yachi winced and glanced over briefly. 

“I don’t know! He was there when I showed up!” She replied in the same volume. 

“Yachi, you gotta tell him to move!” Yamaguchi said in a similarly hushed tone. Yachi flushed and shook her head violently, so hard Hinata momentarily feared that her head would fly straight off of her shoulders. 

“No way! He’d kill me!” Yachi hissed. 

“He can’t  _ kill  _ you, Yachi. What’s he gonna do, spike a volleyball at your head?” Hinata joked. 

Yachi paled considerably. “Yeah! Hard enough to kill me!” 

Hinata considered that and nodded slowly, recalling the power of Oikawa’s spikes. He was injured now though, forced to take on an advisor’s role instead of a player’s. Maybe the injury would keep him from hitting at full power and merely cripple him instead of flat out killing him. 

“I’ll go with you?” Hinata offered with an outstretched hand. Yachi considered the hand before taking it gently. 

“Only if you do the talking,” she mumbled. Hinata nodded and pulled her from her seat, dragging her forcibly until they were stood directly in front of Oikawa and Kageyama, who paused their conversation to stare at them.

“Oikawa-san, I am here to request, as respectfully as possible, that you let Yachi sit in her seat when class starts,” Hinata stated, his voice sounding much braver than he felt. 

For someone who has saved people from a burning building without a second thought, Hinata was a bit of a wimp sometimes. 

Oikawa leaned forward and placed his chin on his fist. “Is this your seat, Yacchan?” He asked sweetly. Yachi nodded violently. “Ah, Tobio-chan didn’t tell me! You’ll have to forgive my rudeness- but before I let you sit, could you two answer a quick question for me?” 

Hinata looked at Yachi who looked back at him, expressions of confusion and apprehension mirrored on their faces. 

“Sure…” Hinata replied slowly. Oikawa clapped his hands together. 

“Perfect! You see, Tobio-chan and I are having a disagreement of sorts and we’d love for you to weigh in,” Oikawa purred. Kageyama growled and glared at his feet, obviously not in agreement with Oikawa’s statement. Oikawa, either unaware or uncaring of Kageyama’s anger, leaned forward. 

“What are your thoughts on Spider-man?” 

_ Dammit, not again. How many times am I going to have to deal with this? Ah, well, at least we aren’t discussing my apparently hideously scarred face this time.  _ _   
_ _   
_ Hinata racked his head for a suitable answer, one that wouldn’t raise suspicions while also seeming like something he would say. Luckily, Yachi answered first, giving him time to think. 

“He’s- He’s so cool! He’s so brave, always jumping headfirst into situations and saving people and all that stuff and- He seems really nice,” Yachi stated. Hinata nearly thanked her instinctively, but clamped his mouth shut at the last moment. 

“And what about you, Chibi-chan?”   
  


“Uh… I think he’s alright. I like the new web slingers, I’d love to try them. And I agree with Yachi, I think he’s brave and stuff,” Hinata stammered. 

_ Damn, it’s really weird to praise yourself in the third person.  _

“Both good answers!” Oikawa claimed, clapping. “You see, Tobio-chan saw him in person this weekend and he hasn’t shut up about it since. I don’t believe anyone can be  _ that _ perfect, nor that someone could really have those kinds of abilities. Thus, our disagreement!”   
  
Hinata ignored the jab, reminding himself that there was no way for Oikawa to know that he was actually insulting the person right in front of him. Instead, he recalled the memory of Kageyama’s awestruck face in the crowd as he’d dangled by one hand over the pavement. 

“Kageyama-kun, you really saw him in person?” Yachi gushed. Kageyama nodded dourly, the angry look never straying from his face. Oikawa stood and offered the stool to Yachi, who eagerly filled the vacant spot, looking prepared to spend the rest of class chatting Kageyama’s ear off about Spider-man. 

Hinata would have to wait to tell her about the history paper.

Hinata took that as his sign to leave, his brain near to bursting with the complexity of hidden identities and all the confusion they bring. He tried in vain to ignore the soft smile on Kageyama’s face thanks to whatever Yachi was saying. 

Oikawa spoke a few words to the professor before standing at the front of the class and clapping his hands a few times for everyone’s attention.

”Hello, everyone! My name is Oikawa Tooru, and I will be your new teacher’s assistant!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies to any and all shiratorizawa stand (specifically tendou stans/simps, im so sorry i made your man clinically insane) but this story needs antagonists and who better than the lovely powerhouse of shiratorizawa?
> 
> things are finally heating up and i’m so excited for where this goes you guys i actually cannot wait to write some of these scenes
> 
> thank you all for leaving kudos/comments!!! even if i can’t reply to all of them, they are all seen, loved, and appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata is cracking a bit under the pressure. And hey! You probably would, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so.... i haven’t updated in over a month....
> 
> oops?
> 
> in all seriousness, i’ve been in a bit of a ~depressive episode~ so it’s been tough to motivate myself to write. i’m sorry. i can’t promise the next chapter will be soon, but i will try my hardest! 
> 
> this chapter is dedicated to hinata’s receive in today’s episode. i love him. i’m in love with him. i love you, hinata. you goddamn ray of sunshine. 
> 
> warning for a panic attack in this chapter! more details in the end notes if you need them, but i won’t spoil here :-)

“Yamaguchi! Psst, Yamaguchi!”

Yamaguchi turned in his seat to face Hinata, who was practically falling out of his seat to reach for a pencil that had rolled out of his grasp. Yamaguchi cocked his head in confusion and Hinata just aggressively gestured to the yellow pencil that had stopped under his seat. 

“You know you could have stood up and walked over, right?” Yamaguchi whisper-asked with a chuckle as he stretched over to give Hinata the retrieved pencil. 

Hinata pulled a face of apology. “I thought I’d be able to reach it, but by the time I figured out I couldn’t, it was easier to just ask!” He protested. Yamaguchi opened his mouth to reply, but they were both cut off by a throat being cleared above them.

The two boys sprung up in their seats and looked sheepishly at Oikawa, who stood above them like a king observing his subjects. Hinata shivered a bit. 

“Neither of you have finished your assignments… Do you really have time to spare discussing frivolous things instead of working?” Oikawa asked disapprovingly. Hinata winced and Yamaguchi became suddenly very interested in his shoes. Oikawa tsk’ed softly and stalked off to terrorize some other poor students. 

Hinata shared a look of disbelief with Yamaguchi before he turned back to his worksheet about- 

Hinata actually had no idea what the worksheet was about. 

Oikawa’s arrival as a teaching assistantfor his chemistry class had distracted him from the looming terror of Shiratorizawa for approximately four minutes, and while he was grateful for that reprieve, the anxiety was back in full force now. 

It sat in his chest like a ball of pure energy - and not the good kind he felt before a run or a particularly invigorating rescue. This was like a second heart in his chest, nestled between his ribs and fit to burst at any moment. He couldn’t focus on anything for more than a minute before his thoughts turned back to Tendou Satori and his freakish eyes. 

From what Hinata could grasp, the situation with Shiratorizawa stay under control as long as they never connected him with Karasuno. Ushijima Wakatoshi may take a personal interest in Spider-man, (a terrifying thing to think about in any capacity) but his real focus was Ukai and the company. As long as Hinata managed to keep the man from reconciling the two together, everything would be perfectly fine. 

There was a wide margin for error, however. 

All it would take would be one slip up, one tiny mistake. A passerby seeing him on the roof. A classmate recognizing his mannerisms. The receptionist at Karasuno taking a moment to wonder why a fifteen year old boy spent all of his time at a tech company. The minute the line was drawn between Hinata Shouyou and Spider-man, someone would remember the already vaguely suspicious internship at Karasuno and that would be that. Kuroo had figured it out in seconds. Anyone else could probably do the same. 

Any number of things could put Hinata in danger. No- not just Hinata. The other guys at Karasuno. His family. Kenma. Kuroo. His classmates. 

Hinata spared a glance around the room. Sweet, shy Yachi. Funny, kind Yamaguchi. Angry, grumpy Kageyama. Even asshole Tsukishima. 

Hinata was putting all of them at risk simply by being there. 

A wave of guilt crashed over him. They were all completely innocent. None of them had a clue that their lives could be forfeit if Hinata so much as misstepped. The pressure was insurmountable.

_ They don’t deserve this.  _

_ They don’t deserve to be in danger because their stupid classmate had to go get bitten by a radioactive spider.  _

_ This is my fault.  _

No. No, no no no- This was Ushiwaka’s fault. This was Tanji Washijo and Tendou Satori’s fault. It wasn’t Hinata’s fault. Hinata  _ saved  _ people. Hinata rescued people from burning buildings and drops to their deaths. Hinata wasn’t putting these people in the line of fire, the men of Shiratorizawa were. 

But it was Hinata’s fault, wasn’t it? 

If Hinata wasn’t so public with his Spider-man persona, maybe Shiratorizawa would never find him. If he wasn’t so selfish and attention seeking, maybe everyone else would be safer. 

Hinata dropped his head in his heads and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that something,  _ anything,  _ would come along and save him, take the pressure off of his shoulders, just for a little while. He just needed to breathe.

“What’s wrong, Shou-chan?”

Hinata jolted out of his stupor at the soft touch on his shoulder and let out an embarrassing squeak of surprise. Sheepishly, he turned to look at Oikawa standing behind him and offered a weak smile. 

“You looked like you were about to start hyperventilating. Is there a problem you’re stuck on?” Oikawa asked, looking genuinely concerned. 

Hinata grasped at the excuse and nodded vigorously, jabbing his finger at a random spot on the page in front of him. 

“Yeah! This one! I’m super stuck!” Hinata stated firmly, leaning back to let Oikawa take a look at his paper. 

Oikawa hummed in confusion. “Name and date…”

Hinata furrowed his brows in confusion, then glanced down to see that his finger had landed on the heading at the top of his paper instead of an actual problem. He laughed nervously and shoved his finger onto a different random spot, this time landing on a real question. 

Oikawa gave a noise of agreement and started to explain something about molecules bouncing off of walls and how that had to do with airplanes flying. Hinata nodded along and pretended to listen, and when Oikawa finished his explanation, Hinata gave him a big smile and a thumbs up. He wasn’t even sure what the question he’d asked about was. 

After an hour of pretending he wasn’t contemplating the deaths of his friends and family, Hinata was finally allowed to start packing up, which he did with much more speed than was necessary. Ah, well, call it a cheat day. His nerves were so fried, it was a wonder he didn’t blurt out ‘I’m Spider-man!’ whenever anyone brought it up. 

The three hours of sleep he was running on probably had something to do with it, too. 

He was so out of it, in fact, that as he bounced on the balls of his feet in the doorway, he didn’t notice someone coming up behind him until a hand was on his shoulder and a squeal had left his mouth. 

Hinata slapped a hand over his mouth and turned sheepishly to face Oikawa, who had somehow managed to sneak up on him twice in a single hour. He looked extremely amused at Hinata’s skittish behavior and gave a little chuckle to himself before he spoke. 

“I think you and I may be the only ones in this school not climbing over each other to get the first-hand account of Spider-man from the volleyball team,” Oikawa remarked with a grin. 

Hinata let out a huff of laughter, hoping he didn’t sound as nervous as he felt and nodded in agreement.

“Well, I know why I don’t care to hear about Spider-man… Why don’t you, Shou-chan?” Oikawa asked, leaning in. 

“Oh! Uh- I… I just have a lot on my mind today, I guess. My mom is… really stressed lately, and it’s rubbing off on me. Yeah,” Hinata stuttered. With any luck, Oikawa would take his verbal stumbles as embarrassment rather than a struggle to come up with a lie. 

It seemed that was the case, as Oikawa just nodded sagely and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 

“I understand, Shou-chan. Well, personally, I have a feeling that this ‘Spider-man’ thing will all blow over shortly. Things will be back to normal before you know it!” Oikawa stated with a dismissive wave of his hand. 

Hinata furrowed his brows and tilted his head. Yeah, sure, he didn’t want anyone to find out his identity. But he was pretty sure the only way Spider-man would ‘blow over’ would be if Hinata died. Which, if one looked at his previous mental spiraling, was becoming increasingly more likely. 

“Blow over?” Hinata asked, unable to stop himself. 

Oikawa nodded and cocked an eyebrow. “What, do you really believe that someone can actually do the things he does? Sticking to walls, jumping that high, those new…  _ web things… _ It’s just not plausible. Some tech company probably made some fancy AI and put it in a superhero suit to build publicity. I’m not buying it,” Oikawa declared. Hinata winced internally. 

_ If Oikawa can guess that there’s a company behind Spider-man, it won’t take Shiratorizawa long to do the same.  _

_ I just have to make sure no one can tell that it’s Karasuno.  _

“I think it… might be possible. I mean, people have seen him do it, right?” Hinata asked, silently willing the clock's hands to move faster, to get him out of this conversation. 

“Ah, but nobody’s seen his  _ face.  _ If there is a real person in there, for all we know, the suit could do all the work,” Oikawa suggested. “I’d believe it if I saw a regular person do it in plain clothes. Until then, I’m not buying it.” 

Hinata huffed. His mind was warring with a desperate need to argue for the sake of his pride, but the knowledge that it would look very suspicious. With no small amount of effort, he relented. 

“I guess we don’t really know. I’d… I’d like to hope he’s the real deal, though. It’d be cool, you know? To live in a world with real superheroes?” Hinata asked. 

Before Oikawa could reply, the bell rang and Hinata darted out the door. He weaved through the mass of students filling the halls and practically collapsed onto the northern corner of the roof that he, Kuroo, and Kenma sat on every day. Closing his eyes, Hinata laid back and let the sun warm his face, acknowledging Kenma and Kuroo with a wave of his hand when he heard them sit beside him. 

“Did Suga message you?” 

Hinata sat up and peeled his eyes open to see Kenma staring down at him expectantly as Kuroo busied himself organizing their cafeteria haul. 

“Message me about what?” Hinata yawned widely and patted the ground around him for his phone. Once he made contact, he brought it up to his face and squinted at it valiantly, but saw no new messages. 

“He probably expects us to tell him,” Kuroo offered. Kenma’s mouth tightened into a line. 

Hinata’s stomach dropped. This had to be bad. This had to be so, so bad. Someone was dead. Someone was dying? His breathing began to speed, his heart practically leaping out of his chest. Someone was horribly, mortally injured, broken beyond repair. His head was spinning, he wasn’t quite sure if he was still breathing. He couldn’t feel the concrete below him anymore. Who? Who was it? Who had they lost? Who was gone because of him? 

“Suga wants you to take a day off.”

There was a long moment of silence. The ringing in Hinata’s ears would have drowned any sounds out, anyways. 

“We really could have phrased this conversation better,” Kuroo said, wincing. Hinata barely heard him, like he was listening from underwater. Kenma glanced between them, registering the look of abject fear on Hinata’s face and dropped to a knee, placing a calming hand on Hinata’s upper back. 

“Shouyou, it’s alright,” Kenma murmured soothingly. Hinata stared out unseeingly, his mind desperately grasping onto Kenma’s reassuring words. “We’re all safe. I’m safe, Kuroo is safe, Suga and Daichi are safe, we’re all safe. Shiratorizawa aren’t going to hurt us. We’re all here and we’re safe.”

Everyone was safe. Shiratorizawa wasn’t there. Everyone was safe.

Everyone was safe. 

For now. 

After a few moments, Hinata’s breathing slowly began to calm and the darkness he hadn’t even noticed encroaching on his vision began to retreat. After a few shuddering deep breaths with Kenma’s quiet counting, he closed his eyes and dropped them between his knees. 

“I’m s-sorry, guys,” Hinata started to mumble, his words muffled. “I’m a m-mess. I-I-I didn’t think it was th-this bad.”

Another larger hand joined Kenma’s on Hinata’s back, rubbing soothing circles. Hinata shuddered into the comforting touch. It was then that he realized he was shaking. 

With a final shaking breath, Hinata lifted his head to see Kuroo and Kenma looking at him with expressions so gentle it almost hurt. 

“I’m- I’m okay. I’m alright now. Th-thank you guys,” Hinata stammered, flushing with embarrassment at the extent to which he’d fallen apart in front of his friends. 

Kenma and Kuroo shared a look above his head. 

“Shouyou… I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize…” Kenma trailed off. Hinata shook his head intently. 

“It’s not your fault. I’m the m-mess-” Hinata began, but Kuroo cut him off. 

“You aren’t a  _ mess,  _ Chibi-chan. You’re scared. You have every right to be scared. Hell,  _ I’m  _ scared, and I’m not doing half the things you do. The fact that you can go out every single day and do the things that you do… It’s- It’s admirable. It’s inspiring.  _ You  _ are inspiring.” Kuroo glanced around to confirm that the roof was still empty. 

“The things people are saying about you, they’re telling the truth. You’re a hero, Hinata Shouyou. Ushiwaka can’t take that away from you,” Kuroo finished, still staring at him intently. Kenma nodded. 

Hinata released a breath and stared at the running track below them. A moment of silence passed, but the quiet felt uncomfortable and pricked at Hinata’s skin. It was like all three of them were holding a breath but none of them quite knew how to let it go. 

“I just- I keep thinking,” Hinata started quietly. He didn’t have to turn to know that Kenma and Kuroo were listening. “If I mess up… If something happens, and Ushiwaka comes after me… If he comes after someone else, that’s on  _ me.  _ If he…” Hinata curled his legs closer to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. “Natsu turned seven last month. If something happens to our mom or… or  _ her,”  _ Hinata choked out, his throat tightening painfully. “I won’t be able to live with myself.”

Kenma’s head came to rest on Hinata’s shoulder. His long hair tickled the side of his neck. 

“It’s not your fault. Ever. You didn’t choose this. You didn’t choose for that spider to bite you, or for Washijo to hand Shiratorizawa to that bastard. What you  _ chose  _ was to help people. You chose to be a good person. That’s what you did. And we’re here for you,” Kenma declared quietly. Hinata’s smile was watery, but completely genuine. 

“Thank you,” Hinata said, nearly a whisper. Neither Kenma nor Kuroo responded, but they didn’t need to. This silence wasn’t stifling or prickly. This was calm. 

“Why does Suga want me to take a day off?” Hinata asked after his breathing had finally regulated again. 

“Kenma and I want to install that communication device in your mask, so you’d be suit-less. You should call him, though. We don’t have all the details,” Kuroo answered. Hinata huffed out a sigh and pulled his phone from his pocket, finding Suga’s contact information easily. 

He picked up after a couple of rings. “Hello, Hinata-kun!” 

“Hi, Suga-san. Kenma and Kuroo say you don’t want me coming in today?” Hinata asked, biting his lip. 

“Ah… Well, Kenma-kun and Kuroo-kun are going to be working on your suit, and you can’t exactly be going out without a mask on, especially now,” Suga said. Hinata shuddered. “But, besides that… Hinata-kun, I think you should spend some time doing normal teenager things, like going to the movies, or an arcade.” 

Hinata was floored. “Huh?!”

“We’re worried that we’ve stolen your teenage years! You’re fifteen, you should be worrying about your grades and the spring dance, not about the safety of the city. You’d be stuck inside the office if you came in today, anyways. Go have fun.”

“But- but Kuroo and Kenma get to go in!” Hinata protested feebly. Suga audibly sighed. 

“Kuroo-kun and Kenma-kun haven’t been spending all their free time here for the last few months. Go spend time with people your age.”

“Kenma and Kuroo  _ are  _ my age!” 

“They‘ve been on the team for less than a week, they don’t count. It can’t be good for your development to spend all your time with people who’ve graduated from university. Go be a high schooler, Hinata-kun. Just for an afternoon. Please,” Suga pleaded from the other end of the line. Hinata could hear the faint sound of someone (presumably Takeda) tinkering with metal in the background. 

“Fine,” he sighed. “I’ll ask some other friends if they can hang out. Is that good enough?” 

“Wonderful! If I see you within a mile of Karasuno, I don’t care if you’re superhuman, I’m sending your ass flying!” With that, Suga hung up. 

“I guess I’m going out tonight,” Hinata sighed, falling backward to lay down, staring up at the sky. 

————— 

“Hinata! You should totally hang with me and Noya tonight!” 

Hinata beamed widely and nodded enthusiastically. “But don’t you have practice, Tanaka-san?” 

Tanaka waved him off with a hand as they walked through the hall. “It’s just a short team meeting tonight, since we have a game tomorrow. Coach doesn’t want us to tire ourselves out, or anything. Oh, speaking of- Yuu! You wanna hang with Hinata tonight?” Tanaka yelled down the hall. 

Hinata saw a flash of blond dart through the hall and suddenly Nishinoya was in front of them, grinning. 

“Finally got a night off, eh? And you chose to spend it with your coolest upperclassmen! Wise decision!” Noya crowed, falling in line with them as they continued the walk to the second gym. 

“Coach should keep us here for maybe… ten minutes? Fifteen? Are you cool to wait?” Tanaka asked as they walked past the club rooms. Hinata nodded and gestured to a bench across the path. 

“I’ll sit here! See you guys soon!” Hinata said as he waved. They both waved back and pulled the door open to the gym, disappearing inside. Hinata settled onto the wooden bench to wait and pulled his phone out to pass the time. 

**suga:** _ have fun today!! try not to let shiratorizawa keep you from having a good time! _

Hinata scoffed at the message waiting on his phone. As if he would be able to forget about the looming threat of Ushiwaka for more than two seconds at a time. Sure, he could probably push it to the back of his mind and let himself be distracted, but it certainly wasn’t a permanent fix. 

**me:** _ hanging with some friends from the volleyball team!! _

After a few seconds of deliberation, he fired off a second text. 

**me:** _ please text me if anything happens with the shiratorizawa situation  _

**suga:** _ of course  _

**suga:** _ i trust you’ll do the same? _

**me:** _ i will.  _

Hinata let out a sigh of relief. He knew Suga probably would have done it anyway, but having confirmation helped loosen the knot of tension in his chest. Unconsciously biting the inside of his cheeks, Hinata pulled up a seperate text thread and sent off another message. 

**me:** _ how’s it going? _

The reply was almost instantaneous. 

**kenma:** _ i’m not going to convince suga to let you come in today  _

**kenma:** _ he’s right. you should be a regular person every once in a while _

**me:** _ i wasn’t going to do that!  _

**me:** _ i just wanted to know how the suit was going! _

**kenma:** _ i’m not even there yet  _

**kenma:** _ shouyou school ended five minutes ago  _

**kenma:** _ did you really think i’d be at karasuno already? _

**me:** …

**kenma:** _ you did didn't you  _

**kenma:** _ do you have literally any perception of time? or distance? _

**me:** _...don’t be mean _ __ _ (｡╯︵╰｡) _

**kenma:** _ how are you a literal superhero wtf _

**me:** __ _.｡･ﾟﾟ･(＞_＜)･ﾟﾟ･｡. _

When Kenma didn’t respond, Hinata pocketed his phone again and began to count the cherry blossom trees standing in a line across the far field. 

He’d gotten to thirty three on that field and was up to twenty four on the next when Tanaka and Noya came bursting out of the gym. They came bouncing up to where Hinata sat and immediately launched into simultaneous tirades of what they could do with their afternoon.

Hinata tried to follow along, but he was lost almost immediately and gave up trying to comprehend anything after the first ten seconds. 

He was spared by the arrival of Oikawa for the third time that day, which had to be some kind of record. Following him was the rest of Chihaya’s volleyball team, though Hinata purposefully did not let himself look to see if a certain dark-haired setter was among them. 

“Shou-chan, are you coming to get a bite to eat with us?” Oikawa asked, somehow managing to make adjusting his plaid scarf graceful and cool. 

Hinata looked between Tanaka and Noya, both of whom shrugged back. 

“We’d probably just be stuck here all day deciding what to do,” Tanaka answered truthfully. Noya nodded in assent. 

“We can still hang just us three when people go home,” Noya added with a grin. Oikawa stepped forward and clapped a hand on each of their shoulders. 

“Wonderful!” Oikawa cried. “Shou-chan, I promise Oikawa the friend is nothing like Oikawa the TA!” 

“You’re Shittykawa the loser all the time, stop lying to the poor first year.” 

Oikawa jutted his lip out and pouted at Iwaizumi Hajime, on-court captain of the team. Oikawa was the backbone, the brain of the team, but he’d overworked a bad knee injury in his second year and his practically guaranteed captain’s jersey had been handed off to his childhood best friend, Iwaizumi, wing spiker and ace. 

Despite being a few inches shorter, Iwaizumi somehow managed to look down his nose at his friend. Oikawa practically preened under his attention, seemingly ignoring the fact that he’d just been insulted. Iwaizumi just huffed. 

“Where are we going?” Hinata asked, jumping up from his place on the bench. Oikawa slung an easy arm around his shoulder and steered him towards the school gate. Tanaka and Noya settled on his other side and the rest of the team fell in line behind them. 

Hinata still didn’t have the guts to check if Kageyama was with them. 

“There’s a  _ delicious _ ramen place down the street, have you ever been? It’s simply  _ divine!  _ That’s where the team was coming home from when they had their celebrity encounter- maybe I’ll finally get to see the elusive Spider-man, too!” Oikawa cooed. Hinata tried not to wince. 

“Stupidkawa, what are the odds that he shows up at the same place twice? You just don’t want to admit that you want to meet him,” Iwaizumi scoffed. Hinata watched curiously as Oikawa’s face twisted defensively. 

“I do not! I was simply telling Shou-chan about your escapades. Besides, Shou-chan is on my side on this. He isn’t obsessed with Spider-man like the lot of you,” Oikawa said, his tone almost bragging. Iwaizumi scoffed. 

“He probably just doesn’t want to piss you off. I bet you pressured him into saying that,” Iwaizumi retorted. Oikawa pouted again. “Just admit that you’re sulking about the fact that we met a superhero and you didn’t.”

Oikawa said nothing. Iwaizumi smirked. Hinata prayed the topic would change. 

“So, Tobio-chan, have you figured out how to do that falling toss I tried to teach you?” 

Ah. This conversation was… better. Slightly. 

“No, you geezer. I said I’d tell you when I did. If I haven’t told you, I haven’t done it,” came Kageyama’s growl from the back of the group. Hinata fixed his eyes forward. 

“Lay off him, Loserkawa. He’s at the gym until the sun sets every night. He’ll get it sooner or later,” Iwaizumi said on Kageyama’s behalf. Oikawa stuck his nose in the air and pulled the door to a small, vaguely hole-in-the-wall type ramen restaurant. Hinata recognized the building down the street as the one he’d hung off of when he’d saved the woman from falling. He decidedly didn’t look at it. Hinata Shouyou wasn’t supposed to know all about the details of Spider-man’s daring rescues. He resolutely turned away and stepped into the ramen restaurant. 

It was a cozy type of place, with booths tucked into the walls and paintings of different landscape hung haphazardly around the space. Oikawa guided them into a table at the back and they all piled in. Hinata ended up squished tightly between Noya and Oikawa, and within a few minutes, he was happily slurping down a delicious bowl of ramen. 

Suga was right. He had needed this. A day of relaxing, of being a normal teenager with normal friends, who didn’t worry about superhero problems. It was surprisingly believable. He really did feel normal. Shiratorizawa felt worlds away. 

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

A deep voice came from the other end of the table. Hinata didn’t recognize it as anyone from the team, but it pricked at his skin and raised the hairs on the back of his neck. Oikawa’s deep sigh of annoyance settled like a pit in Hinata’s gut. He craned his neck to try and see who was speaking, but they weren’t in his line of vision. 

“What a surprise,” Oikawa replied dryly. The man stepped out of the shadows and his presence immediately dominated the table. He was tall- very. His broad shoulders seemed as though they were about to burst out of the straining fabric of a suit jacket. His eyes never strayed from Oikawa’s face. 

Every muscle in Hinata’s body froze as he stared at Ushijima Wakatoshi, standing no less than five feet away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> panic attack explanation: hinata has a panic attack when he jumps to conclusions and thinks shiratorizawa has killed/injured someone. he’s talked out of it by kenma. 
> 
> sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger, i left it there as motivation for me to write another chapter soon :D
> 
> kudos are all seen and appreciated! comments are nice, just to interact with people and remind myself that real people are reading this story. leave something if you’d like!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and co. get a visit from a certain someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully you guys weren’t too mad at me for that cliffhanger last chapter :D 
> 
> thank you for all the kind things you said in the comments!! (about depressive episodes and just in general) you guys are all so so so sweet and encouraging. i literally felt so much love, so even if i don’t reply to your comment, know that i’ve seen and appreciated it. 
> 
> enough about that, let’s get to the chapter!

The blood drained from Hinata’s face as he dimly registered the situation. 

Ushijima Wakatoshi was here. In this random, obscure ramen shop. 

The volleyball team was also here. Oikawa was here. Nishinoya and Tanaka were here. 

_ Kageyama  _ was here. 

Hinata’s fingers began to tremble. 

Ushijima was alone, sure, but that made him no less intimidating. He took up the space of five men in just sheer presence. He was the kind of man that made you want to cower and hide. 

At least this explained the weird chill he’d gotten when he first stepped into the restaurant. 

“Ushijima Wakatoshi. Figures you’d follow me around town the second you got here. Do you not have anything better to do?” Oikawa drawled, looking up at Ushiwaka through his long lashes. Ushijima’s face didn’t even twitch. He remained completely and utterly blank. It was the most frightening thing about him, if Hinata was being honest. 

“Oikawa Tooru. Have you considered my offer?” Ushijima deadpanned, deliberately clasping his hands behind his back. It made his shoulders look even broader. 

Hinata looked between the two of them furtively. Neither of them looked away, both locked in some staring contest that seemed a lot like a battle of will. 

“I told you last time, Ushiwaka. I’m going to college with Iwa-chan. I don’t care about your stupid company,” Oikawa spat out. Iwaizumi inched closer to him protectively, but Oikawa either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “I’ve made up my mind. Leave me alone.”

Ushijima took a single, damning step forward. Hinata felt his heart rate double and would have wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, if only he’d been able to move at all. 

No, everything was fine. Ushijima wasn’t here for him. There was no way he’d be able to tell Hinata was Spider-man just by looking at him. Hinata was just a member of the volleyball team now. He wasn’t a superhero, so there was no reason for Ushijima to even give him a passing glance. 

“Oikawa Tooru, I am giving you an opportunity. Come to Shiratorizawa. You would thrive there, your abilities would-”

“Oikawa’s made up his mind, Ushiwaka. Stop trying to pressure him into changing it,” Iwaizumi spat out harshly, the words biting. Everyone at the table turned to him in shock, not expecting anyone to be bold enough to break the thick tension between Oikawa and Ushijima. 

Ushijima’s gaze still remained unmoved, looking at Oikawa even as he spoke to someone else. 

“Iwaizumi Hajime, I was not speaking to you. This matter is between me and Oikawa, so I-”

“Just shut up!” Oikawa sneered. “If I hadn’t already made my mind up, the way you treat Iwa-chan would be more than enough. Get lost, Ushiwaka. I don’t want you following me around again.”

Ushijima opened his mouth to reply when his gaze flickered for the first time since he’d arrived, landing squarely on Hinata. 

Hinata completely froze. His muscles tensed, his heart stopped, his breathing stilled. Every inch of his body was on high alert, poised and ready to fight. All of the hairs on his entire body stood on end. 

_ I’m a normal high schooler. I’m a member of the volleyball club. I am not Spider-man. I am a normal high schooler.  _

Ushijima’s eyes narrowed slightly, his head tilting, as if he was searching for a reason to recognize Hinata, a reason that he took a notice of the random high school kid sitting next to the man he’d come for. 

_ There’s no reason to look at me. I’m a normal person. I’m not special.  _

Ushijima’s eyes narrowed further. Hinata’s heart felt as though it would beat out of his chest. His fingers trembled where they sat in his lap and he swallowed thickly under the heavy weight of Ushijima’s stare. 

Finally,  _ finally,  _ after what must have been a century, Ushijima tugged his gaze away and back onto Oikawa, who sneered and waved him away. Ushijima scowled and shot a look at Iwaizumi, whose face remained completely impassive. 

With one last bone-chilling glance at Hinata, Ushijima strode out of the ramen shop. The whole team watched in silence as a shiny black car pulled up to the curb and sped away with the tall man inside. Only when the car turned down the street and out of view did the whole table breathe a collective sigh of relief. 

Except Hinata. 

Hinata was still shaking. 

Still frozen. 

Still  _ petrified.  _

Ushijima had been  _ right there.  _ He’d  _ stared  _ at Hinata. 

_ He knows. He knows about you. He knows about Karasuno. He’s coming for you.  _

The trembling of Hinata’s limbs grew stronger. 

_ How could he know? How could he tell? Everyone is safe.  _

A small inhale. A short exhale. 

_ How can you be sure?  _

_ They’re all at Karasuno, all alone.  _

_ What if he’s going there right now? _

No, no, everyone would be fine. Daichi and Suga had insisted on being a part of Hinata’s training routine, they’d stayed with him through every martial arts and hand-to-hand combat lesson he’d ever taken. And he’d taken a lot. 

_ But Kenma and Kuroo are there, too. They don’t know how to protect themselves. They might die because you weren’t there to save them.  _

The ringing in Hinata’s ears finally faded just enough for him to catch the tail end of Oikawa’s sentence. 

“...he just won’t leave me alone! Honestly, it’s like he’s obsessed with me. Gross,” Oikawa grumbled frustratedly. Hinata could see Iwaizumi squeeze Oikawa’s knee beneath the table in a show of support. Oikawa flashed him a grateful smile. 

“But why does he care about you so much, Oikawa?” Nishinoya asked from across the table. Oikawa sighed heavily. 

“My father used to be one of ‘Shiratorizawa’s strongest minds’. But he hated it there. When he quit, old man Washijo went nuts trying to replace him. He was supposed to be Ushiwaka’s right hand man, but since they can’t have him, they think I’ll do it instead. As if I even  _ want  _ to go into tech,” Oikawa scoffed lightheartedly, but it was clear that the whole matter was weighing pretty heavily on his shoulders. 

Hinata was going to be sick. 

If Ushijima knew that Hinata was Spider-man, there’s no way he wouldn’t use that against Oikawa. Hell, he could use it against Hinata, too. Threatening Hinata to get to Oikawa, threatening Oikawa to get to Hinata, it was really all the same in the end. 

No matter what happened, it would be Hinata’s fault. 

A violent shudder racked his body and he stood up suddenly, his chair clattering to the floor. Every head at the table swiveled to him in unison and Hinata balked at the attention. 

“I have to- sorry- H-have to- Outside,” he stammered, shoving his hands in his pockets and stepping over his fallen chair. Muscle memory was the only thing keeping him from ripping the door off of it’s hinges when he opened it roughly and stepped into the crisp air outside. 

His hands trembled as he fumbled his phone out of his pocket, striding with purpose down the road to make the call away from the prying eyes of the volleyball team. 

The line rang. And rang. And rang. 

No one was picking up. 

Suga wasn’t answering. 

Had Ushijima gotten there already? 

Was it too late? 

Could it-

“Hinata-kun?”

Hinata burst into tears at the sound of Suga’s voice. 

“Oh, my God, Hinata, are you alright? What happened? Are you hurt?” Suga asked hurriedly. Hinata grasped his phone with both hands to keep from dropping it. He pushed a second choked sob down his throat so that he could speak.

“I’m- I’m okay. I-I think. Suga-” Hinata’s voice cracked and trembled despite his best efforts to keep it steady. “Suga, he was  _ here.” _

Suga was silent for a moment. “Who was, Hinata?”

“Ushi-Ushijima... He just- He showed up to talk to O-Oikawa and he  _ stared  _ at me, Suga, I swear, he saw right through me! I-I-I didn’t even s-say anything, but he l-looked at me like he  _ knew,  _ Suga,” Hinata stammered. Suga sucked in a breath through his teeth. 

“And he’s gone now?”

“Oikawa told him to go, and he d-did,” Hinata replied. “He got in some fancy black car that pulled up. He’s… He’s gone.”   


Suga said something else, but it was muffled, like he was holding the phone to his chest. Someone else answered and Suga replied back, before speaking again to Hinata. “Someone’s coming to get you. What’s your address right now?”   
  
Hinata recited the name of the ramen restaurant and Suga repeated it back to him for confirmation. 

“Okay, Hinata. Stay tight for a few minutes. Someone will be there soon. Keep your phone on, just in case,” Suga ordered. Hinata nodded, even though he knew Suga couldn’t see him. “Alright. I have to go help Takeda, so I’m hanging up. I’ll see you when you get here.”

“Bye, Suga,” Hinata mumbled.

“See you in a bit, Hinata-kun,” Suga replied before the line went dead. 

Hinata let out a shuddering exhale and stumbled backwards until his back hit the brick wall behind him. He sunk down so he could rest his forehead on his knees and just let himself shake, his entire body vibrating with a strange combination of fear and adrenaline. 

He absently registered the feeling of a tear slipping down his cheek, but he felt detached from it. Like he was standing above himself, watching a stranger experience these emotions. Like he really  _ was  _ just some regular high school kid, just watching Tokyo’s vigilante fall apart outside a ramen shop.

“Oi, dumbass, why’d you- Uh, whoa. Are you- what?” Hinata heard a voice round the corner. The question was obviously directed at him, but he didn’t have the ability to respond. He was afraid that if he lifted his head, he’d shatter like glass. 

“Hinata?” The voice asked, much softer this time. “Hinata, are you-” 

The sound of footsteps approaching slowly. They paused directly in front of him, then a shockingly gentle hand was softly pressing on the top of Hinata’s head. 

“Shit- Hinata, you’re shaking...” 

_...Kageyama? _

“Hinata, are you okay? You just left… so suddenly… and you’re- you’re fucking  _ shaking,  _ and-”

Hinata slowly raised his head, staring back at the boy kneeling in front of him. Kageyama’s hand was still resting on Hinata’s head, his knees bent to get to Hinata’s eye level. He looked… scared. 

“What are you doing here?” Hinata whispered. He didn’t trust his voice not to crack if he spoke outright. 

“I- What do you think, dumbass? You scared everyone, leaving like that! I wanted to make sure you weren’t, like, dead in a ditch somewhere!” Kageyama replied defensively, yanking the hand from Hinata’s hair as if he’d forgotten it was still there. 

“You were… scared?” Hinata repeated slowly, the words feeling funny in his mouth. 

Kageyama scoffed and glowered at a spot on the brick wall above Hinata’s head. 

_ You were scared.  _

Of course. Hinata wasn’t safe to be around. He was a danger to everyone- like a time bomb, ticking down the seconds to everyone’s demise. No wonder Kageyama was scared of him. It was probably some animal instinct telling him that being with Hinata was practically a death sentence.

_ Get away from me!  _ He wanted to scream.  _ Get out of here before you get hurt! _

But he didn’t say that. He couldn’t. 

Because Hinata was selfish. 

He didn’t tell Kageyama to run far, far away. He stared at him with eyes that pleaded to _ come closer.  _

“Hinata, what’s going on with you?” Kageyama asked quietly, eyebrows furrowing. Hinata could feel the answer on the tip of his tongue. He wanted so desperating to say something, to tell the truth.

But he couldn’t.

“Hinata…” Kageyama repeated, more of a question than anything else. 

“Why do you care?” Hinata bit out. He hadn’t meant to say it, the words had just fallen from his tongue like poison. 

“Why do I- Why do I  _ care?  _ ... Fine! I really was scared, okay? You’ve been acting weird lately, then you freaked out today and now you’re shaking like a leaf, and no one knows  _ why-  _ and I’m scared, alright?” Kageyama spat it out like the words physically pained him. “I’m fucking scared.” 

Hinata just blinked at him owlishly, the words not quite making sense in his head. 

Kageyama noticed how he acted?   


Kageyama… cared?   


Kageyama wasn’t scared  _ of _ him… He was scared  _ for  _ him?

“Kageyama, I-” Hinata started, cutting himself off with a sharp sniffle. “You shouldn’t be scared. Don’t be scared for me,” he clarified, his voice much less shaky than when he called Suga.

_ You should be scared  _ of _ me.  _

_ I’m gonna get you hurt someday.  _

_ Go away, while you still can. While you’re still safe.  _

“Don't tell me what to do, idiot! If you insist on being all weird and freaking everyone out, then… Then I’m gonna be scared for you, and you’re just gonna have to deal with it!” Kageyama declared angrily, shoving a finger forward to press on Hinata’s forehead. 

Hinata crossed his eyes to look up at where Kageyama was poking him and started to smile despite himself. From there, he slowly devolved into giggles at the absurdity of the declaration. As if Kageyama was the one who had to protect Hinata. 

“What are you giggling at, dumbass?” Kageyama growled, but Hinata only laughed harder. Kageyama huffed and crossed his arms sourly, glaring at him until Hinata finally calmed back down.    


Catching his breath, he stared at Kageyama for a moment. 

“Thank you,” Hinata said seriously after a moment. Kageyama looked taken aback. 

“For what, dumbass?” 

Hinata made a vague gesture. “You. Being here. It helped. So… thanks.”

Of course, he could never articulate to Kageyama exactly why it had made him feel better, but it had. Hinata was so used to being a hero, now. He was the one putting his life on the line every day. It felt good to know that someone out there really believed that they could protect him. And honestly, Hinata would be more than happy to weather out any storm in Kageyama’s arms. 

Not that Kageyama would let him. 

No, just because Kageyama was scared for him, that didn’t mean that Hinata’s stupid crush would go anywhere. 

In any case, he couldn’t allow it to. 

His mom and Natsu, Kenma and Kuroo, the guys at Karasuno, they all had targets painted on their backs, through no fault of their own. Just close proximity to Hinata was enough to make them potential victims.

Hinata couldn’t let that keep happening. 

So, no. He couldn’t let himself get close to Kageyama, not in that way. If he cared about Kageyama - and he did - he couldn't hurt him like that. He couldn’t put him in danger that way. 

All those thoughts passed through his head in a split second before his mind was made up. If Kageyama wanted to be friends, sure. If he wanted to text about homework and be scared for each other- great. 

But nothing more. 

Nothing more. 

A dark car pulling up to the curb momentarily stopped Hinata’s heart, the fear of Ushijima coming back utterly paralyzing. But the driver’s window rolled down and a familiar spiky head of hair leaned out, looking especially concerned. 

“Chibi-chan? You okay?” Kuroo yelled from the edge of the street. Hinata stood up on still shaky legs and Kageyama’s arm shot out in front of him automatically, which he gratefully used as support. 

Kageyama looked between Hinata and Kuroo, his brows knitting together in what seemed like annoyance. 

“Is he… here for you?” Kageyama muttered through gritted teeth. Hinata looked up at him in confusion, unsure as to why he’d gotten so angry so quickly. 

“Uh, yeah,” Hinata mumbled as they walked to the car, Kageyama only letting go when Hinata had a hand on the handle of the car door. Kuroo was staring at them with an eyebrow cocked and a sly smile on his face. 

“Hello, Kageyama-kun. How are you today?” Kuroo asked, resting his chin on his hand as he continued to grin. 

“I’m fine,” Kageyama spat out, glaring. 

Hinata looked between them in confusion, unwilling to break their staring contest of sorts. 

After a tense moment, Kuroo just laughed and nodded to himself. Kageyama and Hinata shared a look of confusion before Hinata practically collapsed into the back seat of the car, his shaking legs finally giving out. Kageyama’s eyes narrowed in what could have been concern before he crossed his arms, almost as if he was pouting. Well, if anyone could pout and still manage to look on the verge of committing murder, it was Kageyama Tobio.

“We should go, Chibi-chan. Suga… Suga’s pretty anxious to talk to you,” Kuroo said from the front seat. Hinata nodded and turned to Kageyama. 

“Could you… Could you tell Tanaka-san and Noya-san that I had to go? Please?” Hinata asked softly. Kageyama narrowed his eyes and his mouth set into a firm line. Hinata was about to start backtracking and take the words back, when Kageyama spoke. 

“Fine. But I’m not gonna defend you against their questions at school, or anything,” he said grumpily. Hinata shot him a genuine smile and he just turned away with a scowl, pulling the door to the restaurant open and disappearing inside. 

Kuroo pulled away from the curb smoothly and Hinata felt himself deflate, the momentary normalcy Kageyama had provided slipping away from him like sand through his fingers. 

“Hinata…” Kuroo began slowly. “Suga didn’t tell me what exactly was happening, just that I needed to pick you up. Are you… okay?” 

Hinata let out a shuddering breath. 

“Ushijima Wakatoshi showed up.”

The car jerked suddenly before smoothing back out. Hinata stared at his hands, fiddling with them in his lap anxiously. 

“He wasn’t there for me- or, rather, he wasn’t there for Spider-man. He and Oikawa have… some kind of history. He’s trying to recruit Oikawa for Shiratorizawa, but Oikawa hates him. But… When he was talking to Oikawa, he- he  _ looked  _ at me…” A chill ran down Hinata’s spine at the memory, the intensity of that stare. “I swear, Kuroo, it was like he knew. His eyes were so… I couldn’t move. I just- I was frozen.”

Kuroo was silent, but Hinata could see the white-knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel. 

“ _ Shit,  _ Chibi-chan.” He let out an unconvincing bark of laughter. “And here we were thinking  _ we  _ were the ones who needed to keep on guard.”

Hinata almost refuted that, arguing that everyone still had to be on guard, but while that was true, it was ultimately unhelpful to say. 

Kuroo knew that. Suga and Daichi knew that. Hinata just had to trust that they would be able to protect themselves.

“I was scared,” Hinata admitted. “I was scared that the only reason he was leaving was because he was going after you guys. And I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Kuroo let out a long exhale. The car remained silent for the rest of the drive. 

By the time Kuroo pulled up the Karasuno, Hinata had managed to quell the shaking in his arms and legs, but his fingers still trembled slightly. Hinata just shoved them deep into his pockets, not wanting to confront the physical manifestation of his weakness. 

Because he had been  _ weak. _

Ushjima had shown up, the whole restaurant could have been in danger, and what had Hinata done? He’d frozen. He’d been paralyzed. Hell, he  _ still _ hadn’t stopped shaking. 

Did he really deserve to be called a superhero? 

No. __

Superheroes shouldn’t be this weak. 

Hinata was second-rate at best. He wasn’t fit to go up against a powerhouse like Shiratorizawa. Not in the state he was in. 

This hailstorm of vitriol swirled in his head as he watched the elevator slowly climb to the thirty-second floor. When the doors slid open, the trembling in Hinata’s hands had stopped, but only because of how tightly he’d wound them into fists. 

Suga was standing by the elevator anxiously and immediately tugged Hinata into a tight hug, easily dispersing the tension coiled in his limbs. Hinata wilted like a ragdoll and let himself become pliant, the fear and hatred melting from his limbs like snow on a sunny day. 

Suga released him reluctantly at Ukai’s pointed cough, slowly distangling their limbs and guiding Hinata to sit on the couch. Six pairs of eyes stared at him as he reluctantly recounted the tale at Suga’s behest, knees pulled to his chest. He left out the part about Kageyama comforting him, ignoring Kuroo’s curious glances. That felt private. Sacred, almost. 

When he finished, he dropped his chin to his knees and exhaled heavily, a weight lifting from his shoulders. 

Everyone was here with him. Everyone was safe. 

Ushijima hadn’t done anything. 

_ Yet.  _

Hinata glanced around the room, freezing when he met Ukai’s frantic gaze. The man seemed lost completely in thought, biting at his lip and staring intently at nothing. 

“...Ukai-san?” Hinata said softly, jolting the man out of his reverie. Ukai stared at him for a second before standing suddenly and dashing into an adjoining room. A few small crashes resounded before he was back at the couch, an envelope clutched in his fist. 

“Hinata, who’d you say your friend was? The one whose father worked at Shiratorizawa?” Ukai asked intently. Hinata stared at him in confusion. 

“Oikawa. Oikawa Tooru,” he replied, unsure as to why that detail was important. Ukai sucked in a sharp breath and shoved the envelope under Hinata’s nose, who blinked and slowly took it. 

At Ukai’s insistent nod, he pulled the letter out from inside, unfolding it carefully.

_ Keishin, _

_ It has been a while since we spoke. I know, the fault lies with me, but still, losing contact with you and your father is something I deeply regret.  _

_ I wish I could merely be calling on you for a meaningless chat, but, alas, that is not the case. Maybe someday we can meet under non-dire circumstances and have a cup of tea.  _

_ ‘What is the point of this letter?’ you must be asking. You always were one to get straight to the point.  _

_ Keishin, I know you’ve created Spider-man.  _

_ See, I know the handiwork of a close friend when I see it, and you are no exception. I can see the influence of your father in that suit, and remember you well enough to see your hand in it as well.  _

_ I admire your improvement and skill. I do not know who Spider-man is, or how he can perform the feats that he does, but I am sure that he could not do it without you.  _

_ I’m sure you’ve heard of Ushijima Wakatoshi taking the reins at Shiratorizawa. You are a smart man. I am confident that you realize what that means for both Karasuno and your Spider-man.  _

_ I do not think you realize the extent to which this could damage you all, however.  _

_ There are things I cannot disclose in a letter that I believe you and your team should be made aware of. Things to do with Shiratorizawa and Ushijima Wakatoshi. Things I learned during my time with Washijo that I have been too afraid to reveal to anyone else.  _

_ It is due to the sensitivity of the matter that I humbly request a meeting with Spider-man.  _

_ Please send me a letter with your response. Though they may not know that I am aware, Shiratorizawa has been monitoring my online correspondence since I was a young man. I am awaiting your reply through the mail.  _

_ I look forward to the chance to meet a real superhero, Spider-man.  _

_ All the best, _

_ Oikawa Chikao _

Hinata stared at the letter, scarcely breathing. 

“What- What does this mean?” Hinata whispered breathlessly. He looked up anxiously at Ukai, ignoring the puzzled looks of everyone else around him. 

“Your pal, Oikawa, is the son of one of my father’s closest college buddies. They were partners in crime until Shiratorizawa snapped Uncle Chikao up. They haven’t spoken in years, from what I know. And it seems Ushiwaka might have more secrets than we thought,” Ukai responded dryly, crossing his arms and shifting his weight. 

Hinata registered the letter being taken from his hands and passed around as everyone read it, the shock and disbelief seeping into everyone’s features, one by one. 

By the time Takeda finished, Hinata had his head in his hands. 

“What now?” Kuroo asked, breaking the tentative silence. 

“What else?” Daichi replied, sounding a lot more confident than Hinata felt. “We send a letter back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys... i sat down yesterday and really fleshed out the plot and... i’m so exited. like, unreasonably excited. so know that no matter how long it takes to update, i will NOT abandon or discontinue this because i need to get this story into the world!!
> 
> also, i was on tiktok and someone recommended one of my fics in a comment section and it was... surreal. the realization just hit me that all those kudos and hits and comments and bookmarks are real people who exist have thoughts and feelings and actually think about these stories... shit’s crazy. 
> 
> all that to say, i love you all! you all mean so so much to me. stay safe :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just... more plot? i am so bad at chapter summaries i just don’t want to spoil anything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a bit of a rollercoaster in terms of quality, which is really weird because i wrote it in one sitting. 
> 
> ah, well. 
> 
> i hope this chapter suffices. things are finally getting started!

Hinata sat crouched on the edge of the roof of Karasuno’s building, staring over the city, deep in thought. 

The letter had been sent. 

It was in Ukai’s name, but on behalf of Hinata. Or, rather, on behalf of Spider-man. 

They’d received a reply within days, just an address and a date and time, sighed Oikawa Chikao. After a whirlwind of anxiety, some mild panic attacks, and just a little bit of insomnia, the day had arrived. In less than a few hours, yet another person would know his identity. Not to mention that that man was his schoolmate’s (friend’s?) father. 

Hinata exhaled heavily. It truly was odd to consider Oikawa Tooru as a piece in all this. Oikawa Tooru, who was completely adamant that Spider-man was a fraud, a publicity scheme. Oikawa Tooru, who seemed to like Hinata purely because he was too afraid of outing himself to spew Spider-man’s praises like the rest of the student body. 

Oikawa Tooru, who’s father had some mysterious, dark secret on one of the most influential men in the world of technology. 

From what Ukai had said, the elder Oikawa was much like his son, proud, excitable, and hardworking to a fault. He’d been a star tennis player in his youth, but his wrist had befallen the same fate as his son’s knee. 

Ukai’s father had apparently been a graduate student teaching a freshman engineering class, of which Oikawa Chikao had been a part of. As an eager, dedicated student and a student professor who wanted nothing more than to share his knowledge, they were a match made in heaven. 

Until, of course, Shiratorizawa had headhunted the recently graduated Oikawa, and Ukai started his own company, and thus they went their separate ways.

Ukai - Hinata’s Ukai - had said that there wasn’t any bad blood between the two, per say, but it had certainly been a while, and festering feelings may well crop up during their meeting. He’d prepared Hinata as best he could, but the rapidly approaching meeting still loomed over him heavily. 

Especially because Hinata had to go alone. 

This was one stipulation that had made Ukai nearly burst a blood vessel, but it was logical and Hinata understood where the man was coming from. From what little correspondence they’d had, it was obvious that Oikawa’s household, as well as the man himself, was heavily monitored by Shiratorizawa. 

If Ukai Keishin was seen marching up to his front door, a million alarms would be raised in Shiratorizawa’s headquarters. If a random, shrimpy looking teenager was seen in the house of one of his schoolmates, no one would bat an eye. 

But still. 

Hinata was pretty damn nervous. 

He’d come to Karasuno with Kuroo and Kenma straight from school, though now that he was looking at an hour of downtime before he had to leave, he was regretting that decision. 

Dropping his head into his hands, Hinata let out a heavy, sustained breath, trying to work through the tangle of thoughts in his head. 

Every day seemed to add another layer of complications and anxiety, every hour dropped another weight onto his shoulders, every second was another second that he just couldn’t quite breathe right. 

It was suffocating.

Hinata had enjoyed heroes as much as any other kid growing up. He’d been more into the here and now, the sports and the neighborhood games, but he’d read the comics, he’d watched the movies. 

Of course he’d wanted to be Superman. Of course he’d wanted a mind like the Hulk, or speed like the Flash. 

He just… hadn’t expected it to come with so much  _ weight.  _

It was like the world was an ocean. Before- because that’s really what it was, his life had become a  _ before  _ and an  _ after-  _ Hinata had been swimming along happily, bobbing through the currents with his classmates and friends. 

Now, it felt as though there were weights on his ankles, dragging him down as he thrashed in the rolling waves, reaching out a desperate hand for somebody to pull him out. 

But no one could see that he was drowning. 

With another shaky breath, Hinata stood on unsteady legs, unable to sit alone with his thoughts anymore. Clenching and unclenching his jaw methodically, he pulled the door to the stairwell open, letting his fingers ghost along the wall as he made his way slowly down the stairs. 

Everyone seemed to be politely ignoring him in the main room of Karasuno’s headquarters. Takeda had probably lectured them all on giving him space, letting him breathe. 

It was tough, really. 

Because Hinata wanted nothing more than for everyone to go away, to run and never look back, if that was what would keep them safe.

But he also just wanted a hug. 

“Hinata-kun,” a voice called, pulling him head first out of his swirling thoughts. 

“Hinata-kun,” Daichi repeated, suddenly in front of him. “You look out of it. Are you sure you’re alright to do this?”   


His voice was kind, soft. His eyes were concerned. 

“I’ll be fine, Daichi-san! Don’t worry about me!” Hinata declared, injecting as much positivity into his voice as possible. 

Daichi eyed him suspiciously for a moment, but he either believed him, or thought it would be better to let the subject drop, because he just sighed and ruffled Hinata’s hair affectionately. 

“Do you want to spar? It might take your mind off of things,” Daichi offered. Hinata agreed readily, slipping his shoes off and tucking them by the door. They waved at Takeda in his workroom as they passed by, pulling open the door to Daichi’s personal workout room.

Sawamura Daichi was a prodigy in the world of martial arts, excelling in practically every area of combat, be it hand-to-hand, with nunchucks, swords, staffs, you name it. He’d met Suga when they were both fresh out of high school, working part time at a coffee place, and they’d hit it off immediately. 

Technically, Daichi wasn’t an employee at Karasuno Tech Inc. If anyone asked, he would probably use an excuse similar to Hinata’s- some sort of internship or assistant’s job. 

It wasn’t like he could very well publicize that he was the personal trainer of the worlds’ first vigilante superhero. 

But really, that was what his job entailed. 

Daichi was a fair man and a good, albeit strict, instructor. He took Hinata’s raw talent, coupled with his enhanced abilities, and turned him into a decent fighter. When they’d first started, Hinata could barely land a hit, and if he did, it was most likely dumb luck. 

Now, Hinata could win a solid half of their rounds. 

They settled into fighting stances across from each other, Daichi staying deadly still, while Hinata bounced on his toes, rolling his wrists out. 

Hinata struck first, diving low and aiming a punch to Daichi’s sternum, but he sidestepped easily, familiar with Hinata’s favorite starting moves. 

Not skipping a beat, Hinata spun around, using his momentum to sink the heel of his foot into Daichi’s lower abdomen, stumbling when Daichi grabbed his ankle, yanking him towards the opposite wall. 

It was an immovable wall versus an unstoppable object. Daichi was a master of defensive fighting, always staying grounded and keeping his center of gravity low. Hinata, on the other hand, enjoyed dancing around his opponent, his neverending stamina allowing him to keep up a fast-paced fighting style for long periods of time. His speed and strength lent themselves to this method, and he used his abilities to their fullest potential. 

Swearing under his breath, Hinata pivoted his lower body, bracing himself as he tucked his shoulder, rolling into a crouch as he hit the ground. 

If there was one thing Hinata had the upper hand in with these sparring matches, it was his regeneration period. It only took a split second for him to come to a complete stop and spring back up again, catching Daichi while he was still a bit unsteady on his feet. 

Daichi was used to that, though, and he’d already begun his block, bringing his arm up just in time to fend off Hinata’s right hook. Unbothered and immediately moving on, Hinata used his excessive speed to dance around behind his opponent, going for a sweep of the leg, but Daichi caught his ankle without looking, spinning him ass-first onto the floor.

Daichi didn’t give him a moment’s rest, immediately swinging his leg towards Hinata’s head, forcing him to give up both hands to block with his forearms. With catlike grace, Hinata immediately sprung up from his crouch, using the previously concealed web slingers on his wrists to fling himself up to the ceiling, twisting in midair to land squarely on Daichi’s shoulders. 

Daichi mumbled something about “damn spiders” as he uselessly tried to fumble out of Hinata’s hold, swearing loudly when his chest hit the floor, one hand pinned between his shoulder blades and the other held firmly to the floor mat beside him. 

Hinata loudly crowed his victory, releasing his hold on his mentor and gingerly stepping off of his back, rolling out the ankle Daichi had grabbed during their scuffle. 

Within minutes, they were back up and fighting again, every second a blur of dodging, stepping, and punching. Hinata had been given permission to use his web slingers during their sparring matches to help him get used to the weight, as well as incorporate them into his techniques. 

Not that he really had techniques. He and Daichi were like polar opposites in that respect. Daichi was incredibly disciplined, each move he made was technically perfect and preplanned. 

Hinata, on the other hand, moved purely on instinct, fighting with his wits and raw athletic ability, rather than the years of experience and training that Daichi had. 

A half hour later found them at the tail end of their longest match of the day. Breathing hard and taking solace in the fact that Daichi was much the same, Hinata whipped his web slinger to the side with a resounding  _ thwip  _ and used it to swing himself around, colliding with Daichi’s middle and tackling him like a football player. 

Daichi responded with a perfectly executed hold, but Hinata was faster, slipping out of his grasp and firmly planting his feet, using Daichi’s newfound momentum to flip the larger man over his shoulder, throwing him onto the ground so hard his back arched. 

“...Shouyou?” 

Hinata jumped at the unexpected interruption, letting out a breath when he saw Kenma and Kuroo standing at the doorway. 

“‘Sup, guys!” Hinata greeted through his light panting, offering a hand to Daichi to pull him back to standing. When neither of them responded, Hinata just lifted a curious brow, grabbing his water bottle and taking a hearty swig. 

“Shouyou…” Kenma repeated, looking lost. “How long have you always been able to do that?” 

Beside him, Kuroo looked dumbfounded, glancing between him and Daichi like they’d both grown two heads. 

“Do what?” Hinata asked as he slung his towel around his neck, using the corner to wipe away the sweat making its way down his temples. 

“...Fight. Like that,” Kenma replied softly, his eyebrows furrowed together and his lips pressed into a firm line. 

“Few months, I guess. Took me a while to get the hang of stuff at first. Plus, figuring out these web slingers is slowing me down, big time,” Hinata answered honestly, frowning down at the contraptions on his wrists. “But it’s better for me to figure it out than for me to be stuck without ‘em during a shift.”

Kuroo stared at him like he’d never seen him before. “Do you… fight people often?” He asked slowly, looking a bit like he didn’t want to know the answer. 

Hinata thought carefully about his response, something he didn’t often do. 

“Not…  _ super  _ often. I do more rescue stuff, usually. Buildings on fire, robberies, that kinda stuff. But sometimes I have to fight, like if a hostage situation goes bad, or if some thug wants to try something funny. It doesn’t usually come to that, though,” Hinata replied truthfully. “Why?”

Kenma cleared his throat quietly. “I guess we just…” he trailed off, looking at Kuroo. 

“We didn’t realize,” Kuroo finished for him. Kenma nodded, looking at his shoes. 

“Realize what?” Hinata asked bluntly, unsure as to why the air had suddenly become so tense. He looked up when Daichi put a heavy hand on his shoulder, looking at Kuroo and Kenma sympathetically. 

“Hinata, you don’t look like the kind of guy who can fight the way you do,” Daichi explained plainly. Hinata squawked in protest, but Daichi held up a hand. 

“I’m not saying that you  _ can’t  _ do the things you do, just that you don’t really look the type. Kenma and Kuroo have known you for a while, so it’s probably just jarring for them to realize that your whole ‘secret identity’ thing goes deeper than just the costume.”

Hinata looked between Daichi and his friends in confusion, still not quite understanding why everyone seemed so serious. 

“But I told them I was Spider-man. You probably saw the stuff I did on the news! I mean, it was sorta everywhere for a while…” Hinata trailed off. 

“Hearing that Spider-man stopped a bank robber and seeing your best friend bodily flip a grown man are two very different things,” Kenma deadpanned. 

“It was just… unexpected,” Kuroo added, to Kenma’s agreement. Hinata hummed in acquiescence, accepting that as an answer, even if it ticked him off a little bit. 

So what if he was short? That didn’t mean he was automatically  _ helpless.  _ It frustrated him a bit, to hear that his closest friends were so shocked that he could defend himself. 

“I think you’ve blown off enough steam,” Daichi declared, not unkindly, as he squeezed the hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “Now, go shower. Oikawa-san will never speak to you if you smell like sweat and body odor.”

Kuroo laughed heartily at that, leaving Hinata to grumble the whole way through his shower, forcing himself not to revel in how nice it felt to get clean, just to stick it to Daichi and his jokes. 

To show his indignation, Hinata made sure to shake his hair out like a dog directly in front of him, showering him with droplets. Daichi swore, pushing him away while Hinata cackled like a madman, fleeing into the main room where Suga and Ukai sat, deep in conversation. 

They both perked up when Hinata flopped onto the couch, turning to face him in perfect unison, their faces wearing matching apprehensive expressions. 

“What’s wrong?” Hinata asked immediately, not liking that look of near resignment. “What happened?”

“Nothing major,” Suga assured. It didn’t really help.  _ Nothing major  _ still meant  _ something  _ happened. “Just a press conference.”

“Just a press conference my ass,” Ukai muttered, rubbing his chin angrily. “I still think we shouldn’t tell ‘em until after his meeting. We don’t want him freaking out over nothing.”

Suga shot him a look, one that Hinata was a very big fan of if it meant that he could be included in this mysterious, vaguely frightening conversation. 

“It’ll be worse if he can’t focus during the meeting because he’s distracted by something we won’t tell him, even if it isn’t a big deal,” Suga argued. Hinata raised a hand, clearing his throat to get their attention. 

“I’d, uh- I’d prefer to know. Please,” he requested sincerely, trying not to overthink whatever it is they were not-telling him. Suga said it wasn’t a big deal, and Suga wasn’t a liar, but Hinata wouldn’t put it past him to sugarcoat something to spare Hinata the extra anxiety. 

“Shiratorizawa is moving their headquarters to Tokyo. That’s all,” Suga explained. Ukai scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. 

“It’s not that simple, Sugawara,” Ukai said from behind gritted teeth. “The old bastard’s up to something, I can  _ tell.”  _

Hinata paled slightly, his heart starting to thump loudly in his ears. “Up to what?”

Ukai threw his hands up in the air in irritation, letting out a frustrated noise. “That’s the problem! We don’t know! We don’t know anything!” 

Suga pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily. “I’m serious, Hinata-kun, don’t worry about this. The only reason they weren’t in Tokyo before is because Washjio was too traditional to want to uproot his business. Ushiwaka has probably been planning this move for years.”

Hinata pulled his lower lip between his teeth distractedly, barely noticing the tang of blood when he bit down just a bit too hard. 

“So, Ushiwaka showing up at the ramen place. Things like that… might happen again?” Hinata asked, trying to keep the slight tremor out of his voice. Suga looked at him with eyes so gentle Hinata feared for a moment that he might shatter. 

“Possibly, yes. The likelihood of you running into him on the street is very low, but it’s happened once already, so…” Suga trailed off, his fingers tapping a rhythm on the couch cushions. 

“Just be on the lookout, alright, kid? Don’t… get any candy from strangers, or any of that shit,” Ukai grumbled, looking quite put out. 

“If you’re trying to kidnap a vigilante, I don’t think you’d use candy,” Hinata replied thoughtfully, a finger on his chin. Ukai scoffed. 

“They will if they know it’s  _ you.  _ That or those meat buns you love.”

Hinata grinned at that. “That might actually work on me! Oh, they’d just have to put some on a plate and, I dunno, use a hair dryer to blow to smell my way, or something,” he suggested, relieved when Suga flashed him an amused smile. Some of the tension had melted from the room, at least. 

Even if it didn’t melt from Hinata’s shoulders. 

“You’re ridiculous, Hinata-kun. Now, go get Daichi, or you’ll be late,” Suga chided, shooing him out of the room. Hinata saluted with a grin and bounced over to the bathroom, knocking twice and yelling through the door about needing to leave. 

Daichi yanked the door open, nearly making Hinata fall from where he’d been leaning, before shaking his short hair out much the same as Hinata had done to him. Hinata shrieked at the retribution, fleeing before Daichi could make his shirt unwearable. 

He loitered in the kitchen area, picking at some snacks that Takeda had set out for Kuroo and Kenma, only to be scolded by Ukai for dallying before such an important meeting. Eventually, Daichi was ready and before Hinata could blink, he had his school bag, suit inside, pushed into his hands before they were both unceremoniously shoved out the door. 

The car ride with Daichi was quiet, but not awkwardly so. Every now and again, he’d turn the wheel and his shirt sleeve would ride up, exposing a nasty looking bruise on his upper arm that Hinata was pretty sure he inflicted. 

He was equal parts guilty, and also sort of proud. 

Everything felt suddenly very real when Daichi rolled the car to a stop in front of a nice, upper-middle class looking house. It was a light blue color, with white trim and beds of flowers out front, some in bloom and some looking past their prime.

Hinata jumped when Daichi put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a sheepish smile as he tried to calm his rabbity heart. 

“Everything’s going to be fine, Hinata. You’ve got all of us on speed dial. I’ll stay just around the corner. There’s no reason for Shiratorizawa to suspect anything. Now go, Hinata. You’ve got a meeting to get to,” Daichi said, squeezing his shoulder encouragingly. 

Hinata gave him a watery smile, swallowing tightly. He grabbed his bag tightly, swinging it over his shoulder as he stepped out of the car. 

He let himself take one deep breath before he closed the car door, forcing his legs to move, one foot in front of the other until he stood at a wooden door, eye to eye with an ornate door knocker. 

Lifting a surprisingly steady hand, Hinata grasped the metal and rapped it against the wood three times, a bit jarred by the way it seemed to resound in his ears. 

Faintly, he heard the sound of Daichi pulling away from the curb and driving down the street. 

_ He’s staying within five blocks. He’s not going far. You’ll be fine.  _

Without a lick of warning, the door swung open, revealing a middle-aged man in a business suit, looking stern. 

“I’m not interested in whatever you’re selling, boy,” the man said coldly, looking down his nose at Hinata, who suddenly felt very small. 

“O-Oh! I’m not- I’m here to see you, Oikawa-san!” Hinata yelped, ducking into a small bow. He stared at the bristles of the Oikawa’s plain doormat for a few long seconds while the man didn’t speak. The silence felt deafening. 

“Keishin sure knows how to pick ‘em,” the man grumbled, grabbing the back of Hinata’s collar and practically hauling him inside, shutting the door firmly behind him. 

Hinata stumbled into the foyer, righting himself immediately and spinning around, instinctively sinking into a fighting stance. 

Oikawa’s father stared at him, almost bemusedly. 

“I’m not fighting you, boy. I know I won’t win,” he said, with a twinkle of mirth in his dark eyes. 

He looked much like his son, with light hair and pale skin. He was probably about the same height, too, at least half a foot taller than Hinata. His eyes had the same glimmer, the same playfulness about them, and it somehow made Hinata feel more at ease. 

“So,” Oikawa’s father said, looking Hinata up and down, as if evaluating a machine or a car. “You’re Spider-man, hm?”

Hinata threw himself into another bow, feeling his backpack starting to slip over his shoulders awkwardly. 

“Yes, sir!”   


Oikawa Chikao chuckled quietly, tapping Hinata lightly on the back of the head as he breezed by him, a silent gesture to follow. Hinata did, scrambling to catch up as he made his way through the tastefully decorated halls. 

“You have a lovely house, Oikawa-san,” Hinata murmured quietly, admiring a painting of an old castle as they walked past it. The man waved a hand around noncommittally, nearly smacking Hinata in the nose.

“You’re friends with my son, aren’t you? Call me Chikao, boy.”

Hinata’s eyes widened. “Ch-Chikao-san,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief at Chikao’s nod of approval. They walked in silence for a moment before they stopped suddenly, standing in front of a large wooden door. 

With a grand flourish, Chikao pushed it open to reveal a… 

Library?

That was the closest thing Hinata could think of to describe the room, with books piled on shelves and, when the shelves were full, stacked on the floor, towers of books that threatened to topple over at any second. Pages full of cramped writing littered a mahogany desk in the center of the room, spilling over onto the floor. A single lamp cast pools of warm light from where it stood next to the plush armchair in the corner, also covered in books and stray papers. 

Hinata just stared, letting out a little whistle of surprise, to which Chikao laughed quietly. 

“The den of a madman, my wife calls it,” Chikao noted offhandedly. “I call it organized chaos.”

To prove his point, he strode over to the armchair and deftly pulled out a single piece of paper, handing it to Hinata without so much as a glance at it’s contents. 

With a confused look, Hinata unfolded it, only to see the letter that Ukai had penned on his behalf, agreeing to meet. He whipped his head up, dumbfounded, to see Chikao standing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking amused. 

“Organized chaos,” he repeated, to which Hinata could only nod. “Now, Spider-man.”

“Please, call me Hinata. Hinata Shouyou,” he interjected, a bit paranoid about someone so casually name dropping his alter ego while he was out of his suit, completely vulnerable. 

Well, not completely vulnerable. He still had the web slingers nestled around his wrists, recently reloaded and ready to fire. 

“Alright, Hinata-kun. Before I give you my story, why don’t you tell me yours?” Chikao said, sitting down behind his desk and gesturing to the now empty armchair, which Hinata hadn’t even seen him clear off. 

Hinata sat, feeling a little awkward, but he launched into his story without much stalling, telling Chikao of the spider, and the failed mission to climb Karasuno’s building. He spoke about Daichi’s training regime and Takeda’s constant tinkering with the mechanics of his suit, and also of Suga’s friend who was travelling in Italy, who had designed the suit. 

Chikao listened, nodding at times and frowning at others, seemingly with no prompting. Hinata just plowed on, talking about the new web slingers and his recent rise in popularity. 

Chikao seemed especially fascinated with the webs, his glee almost childlike when Hinata revealed that he was already wearing them. He was ecstatic when Hinata offered a demonstration.

Raising one wrist, Hinata pressed down quickly, just enough to attach to the ceiling and stick there, leaving him a few feet off of the ground, wrapping the web around his wrist to leave him dangling. 

“Fascinating, my boy! How long does it stick?” Chikao asked, pulling out a pencil and paper to write down his thoughts and findings. Chikao and Takeda were kindred spirits, Hinata decided. 

“It dissolves within the hour, if Takeda-san’s experiments still hold up. I haven’t had a reason to really test it, yet,” Hinata replied, still hanging from the ceiling. Chikao nodded, mumbling something to himself as he wrote a series of one word bullet points down. 

“Stay up there for a moment, if you would. I’d like to sketch it’s juncture with the ceiling while it’s still under it’s typical amount of pressure,” Chikao requested without looking up at him. Hinata hummed in agreement, bringing a hand up to pick at some dirt in his nails. 

Maybe Hinata was just distracted. Maybe he was still tired from sparring with Daichi. Maybe it was the result of fraying nerves. 

Whatever the reason was, Hinata didn’t notice the sound of the front door opening and closing. He didn’t register the sigh of exhaustion in the foyer, or the sound of soft, tired footsteps coming down the hall. 

He didn’t notice anything until a hand was rattling the doorknob, a sharp rapping of knuckles ringing out as the wooden door was pushed open. 

Hinata froze, dangling from the ceiling as Oikawa Tooru, off-court captain of the Chihaya Volleyball Club and student teacher of first year chemistry, strode into the study, tie loosened and uniform jacket nowhere to be seen. 

For a moment, Oikawa just looked at him. Stared and stared and stared, first at his face, then at his hand, then at where the web met the ceiling, and finally at his father, who still hadn’t looked up. 

Oikawa’s mouth opened and closed, looking back at Hinata’s stricken, before he blinked once, twice, three times, and quietly closed the door, the sound of footsteps resolutely marching back down the hall, ringing out like individual gunshots. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this whole chapter, then read it through again and realized i’d accidentally written hinata like i was writing for midoriya izuku. mha brain rot lmao 
> 
> you may have noticed that there’s an actual number of chapters now! that’s an educated guess don’t hold me to it. twenty is the number of chapters i have planned, but who knows if that will actually happen. 
> 
> thank you all for your super sweet comments! i hope the content i’m putting out (irregular as it may be) is to your standards!
> 
> as always, all of your kudos, comments, and bookmarks are seen, loved, and appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oikawa joins the party!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i don’t have much to say, except that this is a bit of a filler, i promise that real action is coming soon!! i’m not entirely happy with how this chapter turned out, but i’ve been staring at it for too long that i can’t fully understand why i don’t like it anymore lmao
> 
> i hope it’s up to your standards :D

“Shrimpy. You. Spider-man. You’re  _ Spider-man. You  _ are Spider-man. Spider-man is you.”   


Hinata nodded patiently as Oikawa paced back and forth, his normally perfect hair mussed from running his fingers through it one too many times. This was probably the tenth time he’d made that statement, but he still seemed as if he didn’t quite believe it, despite seeing Hinata himself hanging from the ceiling. 

“How? Why? Why are you Spider-man?” Oikawa asked, gesturing sharply to no one in particular. 

“Uh… bitten by a spider?” Hinata replied meekly, earning himself a dubious look from Chikao. Oikawa laughed humorlessly, dropping into the armchair by his father’s desk. 

“You were...  _ bitten by a spider. _ Of course! Because  _ that _ makes perfect goddamn sense!” 

Hinata winced. Oikawa… wasn’t taking this as well as the rest of the people who’d found out his secret. Not even counting the time it had taken him to stop stress-eating in the kitchen, he’d been alternating between pacing and muttering quietly to himself for at least a half an hour. 

_ Let him process this on his own,  _ Chikao had said. And Hinata was all for that! Go with the flow, don’t rush the process, all that jazz. 

But Oikawa was acting… really weird. 

Suddenly, Oikawa’s head snapped up, his gaze boring straight into Hinata’s soul. Instinctively, Hinata straightened, snapping to attention like a soldier as Oikawa continued to stare at him, eyes half-crazed. 

“That day,” Oikawa started slowly. “That day by the ramen shop. The team- they saw Spider-man. But  _ you  _ are Spider-man. The team saw  _ you.” _

Hinata nodded slowly. “That… would be correct.”

“All those discussions in class, those debates about your abilities, Tobio-chan’s incessant fangirling- it’s all about  _ you,  _ Shrimpy,” Oikawa said breathlessly, before dropping his head back into his hands. 

“I’m sorry, Kageyama’s  _ what?”  _ Hinata tried to interject, but Oikawa continued as if he hadn’t even spoken.

“And I even spoke to you about it, we talked about  _ you,  _ how weird must that have been?” Oikawa exclaimed. 

“Pretty weird,” Hinata admitted. Oikawa tilted his head slowly, eyes defocusing just slightly as he lost himself in thought. Hinata glanced at Chikao, who shrugged. It wasn’t long before Oikawa spoke again, though suddenly, his voice was lower, steadier, more serious. 

“Ushiwaka.”

Hinata couldn’t help it- he flinched. Oikawa sucked in a small breath, glancing between Hinata and his father.

“There- There’s a story there, right? That’s why- in the ramen shop. When you freaked.”

“You have such a way with words, my son,” Chikao cut in dryly. “But yes, there is a… situation between Shiratorizawa and the vigilante known as Spider-man. That is technically why Hinata-kun has come to visit today.” 

“Yes! I-I’m sorry, Oikawa-san, but I do need to talk about what I came for,” Hinata interjected. Daichi had orders to pick him up at seven o’clock sharp, come Hell or high waters. 

Chikao humphed in agreement, settling down at his desk and pulling a few random papers from different piles strewn across its surface. 

“Tooru, if you want to stay, you’ll need to ask the resident superhero. I can’t promise that you’ll get the full picture even if you do, but if he wants to let you in on his secrets, that's up to him, not me,” Chikao stated plainly, twisting his upper body to reach a piece of paper on the floor behind him. 

Oikawa looked at him. 

“W-Well, I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone else at school in on everything,” Hinata started slowly. “Kenma and Kuroo help, but they’re only two people. Y-You can stay and listen. If you want.”

Chikao clapped his hands together loudly, cutting off whatever response Oikawa might have given. “Wonderful! Right then, down to business, shall we?” 

Hinata glanced at Oikawa, who had donned a serious expression. 

Alright, then. 

Enough stalling. 

Chikao cleared his throat, holding out a piece of paper to Hinata with a flourish. Hinata took it from him, taking a moment to take in its contents. It was a sketch of some... mech suit, looking straight out of a comic book - not that Hinata was one to talk. Labels and footnotes littered the empty space around the incredibly detailed drawing, dimensions and concepts and shorthand that Hinata couldn’t make any sense of. 

“What is this?” Hinata asked slowly, gaze landing on the massive gun-looking apparatuses attached to the suit’s forearms. 

“Ushijima Wakatoshi’s pride and joy.”

All the blood rushed from Hinata’s face in an instant, his stomach twisting painfully and his heart stalling in his chest. Chikao continued calmly. 

“This is what got Ushijima that promotion. It's common knowledge that Washjio was looking for a successor. What isn’t as known by the public is that this-” Chikao pointed at the sketch. “Is his final test. That’s why I left.”

“A- A  _ test?”  _ Hinata asked disbelievingly, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“A difficult one at that.  _ ‘Build me a superhero.’  _ That’s what he told me.  _ ‘Build me something more powerful than a hundred men.’  _ Of course, I refused. No one man should have that kind of strength. But it seems the old man has found someone stupid enough to do it for him,” Chikao explained. 

Hinata shook his head frantically, trying to clear the rising panic in his mind. “So, you’re telling me that Ushijima is literally making himself a superhero?” 

“Not making. Made.” Hinata’s head snapped up, but Chikao wasn’t looking at him, instead hunting for another paper. “That’s the test. Anyone can draft a suit like that, it’s really not that difficult if you’ve got the mind for it. The test is making it.”   


Hinata felt himself sway a little, unsteady on his feet for the first time in months. 

Already made. 

Ushijima had already  _ made  _ this… this suit with the strength of a  _ hundred men, _ with built-in guns and armor and-

Suddenly, the idea of being killed by Ushijima Wakatoshi was a lot easier for Hinata to imagine. 

“That boy- Sugimoto,” Chikao asked, still hunting through a drawer.

“Sugawara?”

Chikao waved a hand. “Yes, him. Keishin said he has experience with Ushijima and his crew.”

Was that a question? “Uh, yeah, they went to university together,” Hinata responded, tearing his eyes away from the mech suit and folding it decisively, not letting himself look at it any longer.

“I need you to ask him if Ushijima had any… pet projects in college. Any personal designs he worked on outside of assignments and homework. You’ll want to know how long he’s been building this. It’s been years since I worked under Washijo, and truthfully, I have no idea how long he’s been grooming the boy.” 

“Shrimpy?” 

Hinata and Chikao both looked at Oikawa when he spoke, and Hinata was almost ninety percent sure that the man had also forgotten that his son was in the room. 

“What’s up?” Hinata asked slowly, fidgeting with the paper in his hands. 

“Are you okay?”   


Hinata blinked. 

“What?”   


Oikawa looked at him, really  _ looked,  _ like he was searching for an answer that he could only find in Hinata’s face.

“Your life- it’s full of killer suits and superpowers and people trying to  _ kill you.  _ You’re fifteen years old, Shrimpy. Are you okay?” 

Hinata was taken aback. 

Well,  _ no.  _

No, he wasn’t okay. He was drowning, suffocating, free falling. He was so, so  _ tired.  _ He was not okay, not in the slightest. 

“I’m fine.”

Oikawa regarded him shrewdly, and Hinata knew that his lie hadn’t been bought, but he seemed to understand well enough to drop it. Hinata nodded at him subtly, just a little tilt of the head, but he felt it was enough to convey his gratitude. 

“This is everything I have on Washijo and his company- at least from when I was in his employment. Take it to Keishin, him and that tinkerer will surely have a field day with it,” Chikao interrupted, shoving a shocking large stack of papers into Hinata’s arms. 

“Th-Thank you!” Hinata replied, twisting somewhat awkwardly to unceremoniously shove them into his backpack, taking care not to crease the suit too badly. 

“Right. That driver of yours is going to be here any minute, isn’t he?” Chikao asked, glancing at the watch on his wrist. 

Hinata checked the time and yelped, gathering his things quickly and shoving them in his bag next to the papers. He turned on his heel, ready to leave, but stopped before he could take a step out the door. 

He turned to Oikawa. “My mom thinks I’m on the volleyball team,” Hinata stated plainly. “Just so you know.”

—————

Walking through the halls with Oikawa Tooru was to be untouchable, revered. 

It was… certainly not something Hinata was used to, being stared at and whispered about, and he couldn’t exactly say he was enjoying it. But Oikawa had been stuck to his side since the second he’d gotten to school that morning, showing up at his classroom door the instant the bell rang and walking with him to wherever he needed to go. 

_ ‘Teammates’ stick together, Shrimpy!  _

No one had approached him directly about it- though Kageyama had sent him plenty of weird, accusatory stares during gym. He never actually spoke to Hinata about it (which Hinata wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed about), but he’d still felt Kageyama’s cool glare on the back of his head through the entirety of their game of field hockey. Granted, Hinata wasn’t totally sure it was about Oikawa- the last time he’d spoken to Kageyama, he’d been having a panic attack in a dark alley, so there was a good chance he was still confused about that whole… situation. 

Hinata felt a bit guilty about leaving Kageyama in the dark, especially when he’d been so helpful and almost… kind. It had been weird, to be yelled at so caringly. 

But it was kind of nice. 

Oikawa was waiting for him outside the gym after he’d changed, scrolling on his phone and completely oblivious to the first year girls not-so-subtly ogling him. 

“You know you don’t have to be my bodyguard, right?” Hinata hissed dryly as they walked side-by-side in the hall. “If anything, I should be the one protecting you.”

Oikawa scoffed, not deigning to respond, instead just gesturing into their chemistry class. Hinata gave him a long look before stepping inside, trudging over to his seat by Yamaguchi, who gave him a kind smile and a wave. 

He felt Kageyama’s glare on him once more the second he sat down at his own seat, but Hinata refused to turn to face him, choosing instead to engage Yamaguchi in some mindless conversation about a recent sports match he’d been watching. 

Even when their teacher clapped to get their attention, Kageyama’s stare never left the back of his head. 

Hinata cursed the strange sixth sense he’d gained with his powers. He’d rather live in ignorance than try to act normally with a glare like  _ that  _ trained on him wherever he went. 

He tried to pay attention as their teacher explained the day’s work, but between Kageyama’s staring and Oikawa’s frequent worried glances, Hinata was nearing the end of his rope. 

That is, until he heard the words ‘random partners.’

Hinata had never worked well with partners. He was too slow, too bad at spelling, his handwriting was too messy. Groups didn’t like working with him as a rule. 

This was exactly the kind of added stress he didn’t need. 

The teacher began listing off names, starting off strong by pairing off Yamaguchi and Yachi together, nixing the two people who might have tolerated him. Groaning internally, he resigned himself to working with a classmate he barely knew.

“Hinata Shouyou,” his teacher called. “You’ll be working with… ah, there he is. Kageyama Tobio.”

_ What.  _

No way, there was absolutely no possible way. 

The universe had to be fucking with him. 

There was  _ no fucking way.  _

The teacher just continued listing off partners as if Hinata’s entire goddamn day hadn’t been upended. 

Hinata had no idea how to feel about Kageyama. 

Well, that wasn’t the whole truth. 

Hinata felt _ way too many _ things about Kageyama.

Most prominent were the horrendous feelings that had been swirling in Hinata’s chest since the beginning of the year, the ones that wondered how soft Kageyama’s lips were and how gentle he would be, stroking through Hinata’s hair. Stupid, dumb, terrible feelings that were only made worse by Kageyama admitting that he was  _ worried about him.  _

Then there was the anxiety, the absolute terror of growing closer to Kageyama and putting a target on his back, somehow letting him get hurt by getting him involved in the shitshow that was Hinata’s life. 

Finally, there was the glaring. It was… new. Hinata wasn’t quite sure why it was happening, but it was doing weird, twisty things to his stomach all the same. 

“Alright! You’ll need to get together with your partners and discuss when works best for both of you to get together outside of school.”

Oh, how  _ wonderful.  _

“Oi. Dumbass.”

Hinata winced, turning slowly in his chair to see Kageyama looming over him, standing far too close for comfort. 

“How often are you busy with your dumb internship?” Kageyama asked bluntly, staring him down. 

Hinata blinked. Internship? What internship? 

_ Karasuno.  _

Right. 

“Ah- basically every day. I can try and ask for a day off, soon? To work on the project,” Hinata offered, knowing full well how overjoyed Suga would be to hear him requesting time off for ‘normal teen activities’.

“Tomorrow,” Kageyama stated. 

“Eh?”

“I have practice every other day. And in the mornings. And games on the weekends. Ask for tomorrow off. We can go to my house,” he said bluntly. 

Go to  _ Kageyama’s  _ house. 

This day was moving far too quickly. 

“O-Okay! I’ll ask Su- I’ll ask, ah, my boss if that works. I’m sure it will, but, er- what are you doing?”

Hinata stared at the phone that had been pressed under his nose, blinking owlishly at the contact screen being displayed. 

“In case your boss says no, or whatever,” Kageyama said, looking away. “You can call me and tell me. So I don’t wait for you to show if you’re not going to.”

Oh. 

Kageyama wanted Hinata to put his number into his phone. 

_ Oh.  _

“Sure! I mean, I’m pretty sure he’ll say yes, but if you want to be sure, I can definitely-”

Kageyama grumbled something unintelligible, but Hinata was ninety nine percent sure he heard the phrase ‘dumbass tangerine’ at least once. 

“Just put your number in, idiot. It’s not a big deal.”

Correction: It  _ was  _ a big deal. It was a big, fucking massive deal, a humongous deal, the biggest deal of all deals. 

Just maybe not to Kageyama. 

Hinata nodded quickly, grabbing the phone and typing his number in without another word. He labelled the contact with more emojis than Kageyama probably knew existed and sent himself a text to get the number in his own phone. 

Kageyama took his phone back, looking at the new contact with something between a grimace and a scowl. Somewhat awkwardly, Hinata gestured to the other empty chair at his table, jerking his head to indicate that Kageyama should sit down. 

Kageyama just stared at him. 

“We have a few minutes before the lecture starts. Yamaguchi is in your seat, and it’s more comfortable sitting down than standing up,” Hinata pointed out. 

Kageyama scowled, but he sat down heavily beside Hinata all the same, grumbling once more. 

Hinata fought to keep the little smile off of his face. 

The radio was playing in the background, courtesy of their teacher. Some wretched pop song with completely nonsensical lyrics was wrapping up as Hinata started to doodle on the cover of his notebook, listening absentmindedly as the radio hosts started talking over the gap between songs. 

“That was a new smash hit if I’ve ever heard one! Wouldn’t you agree?” One of them was saying, sounding entirely fake. 

“I sure would, Tsubasa! That one’s gonna be topping the charts any day now!” A woman replied. 

“Well, Suzuki, I’ve actually got something different to share today.”

“You don’t say! Could this be about… Spider-man, perhaps?”

Hinata stiffened imperceptibly, ears suddenly straining to pick out the voices floating over from the radio. A glance at Oikawa proved that he was listening too, his head tilted and his eyes wide as he stared at the homework in front of him. 

“It is indeed, Suzuki! This announcement has actually gone out to over half the radio stations in town, so apologies to any listeners who’ve heard this already. It’s a challenge, trying to contact an anonymous hero! Well, Spider-man, if you’re tuning in, listen closely!”

Oh, Hinata was listening alright. His fingers were white-knuckling his seat with one hand and his pencil with the other, every muscle in his body tensed so tightly, he had started to shake. 

A crackle of static filled the radio channel for a moment before clearing to the sound of an achingly familiar voice. 

“Hello, Spider-man,” Ushijima Wakatoshi greeted from the radio.

Hinata’s pencil snapped. 

“I do hope this message reaches your ears. It’s a difficult task, to communicate with someone you don’t know.”

That was the  _ point,  _ Shiratorizawa could  _ never  _ know. They couldn’t know, they just _couldn’t._

“Well, I’ll get straight to it. We, here at Shiratorizawa Tech Incorporated, are reaching out a hand to you, Spider-man. We have quite the proposition for you, if you’re willing to listen. Please, contact us if you’re listening and decide that you would like us as your ally. That is all.”

Time stopped. 

Hinata faintly registered the sting of his nails biting into his palms, but he didn’t quite feel it. 

_ Calm down,  _ he told himself sternly.  _ You can’t freak out. Kageyama is  _ right _ next to you.  _

Shooting a glance out of the corner of his eye, Kageyama was scrolling on his phone under the desk, out of the view of their teacher. He didn’t seem to hear the radio, and he hadn’t noticed Hinata’s reaction. 

He bit back the urge to sigh in relief. 

This wasn’t the end of the world. 

Right?

“Shrimpy!” 

Hinata jerked his head up to see Oikawa standing at the door, holding a small stack of papers. 

“I need someone to hold the door while I make copies, or I’ll get locked in the copy room. Can you come with me?” Oikawa’s tone was casual, but his eyes were bordering on frantic. 

Hinata scrambled out of his seat, bowing his head to his teacher quickly before dashing out the door behind Oikawa, who was already walking down the hall. 

“You heard it,” Oikawa said, staring straight ahead. 

“That… could’ve been worse,” Hinata admitted. Oikawa turned to face him, dumbfounded. “Really, it could have been! Suga-san warned me that Ushiwaka would probably try to reach out.”

Oikawa opened and closed his mouth a few times, before simply nodding his head for Hinata to continue. 

“Right. The real issue is if he finds out Spider-man is already a part of Karasuno. That’s when things could get… personal.”

Oikawa stared at him. “What do you mean  _ personal?” _

“Suga explained it like this. Right now, he thinks I’m independent. I need to keep it that way. I’m not a part of Shiratorizawa, but I’m not a part of anything else, either. If he finds out that I work with Karasuno, suddenly Spider-man is part of the competition. And competition will inevitably be… eliminated.”

_ “Eliminated!?”  _ Oikawa hissed. “What the hell are you talking about,  _ eliminated?!” _

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Hinata replied solemnly. “Taken out of commission. You know Ushiwaka. He won’t stop at a strongly worded email.”

“Shit, Shrimpy,” Oikawa whispered. 

“Welcome to the team, Oikawa,” Hinata replied without humor. 

_ Welcome to the team. I hope I don’t get you killed.  _   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is that the beginnings of shobio development i see??? yes!!
> 
> i’m excited to finally start developing their relationship, i’ve got some really fun stuff planned for them!!!
> 
> also! i’ve gotten a couple comments recently with ideas or guesses about what’s going to happen and let me say this: i love it when people comment stuff like that! i do have the rest of this fic mostly planned out, but it’s pretty bare bones, so i’m always looking for more inspiration! keep ‘em coming!
> 
> thank you all for being the loveliest readers!! i love you all!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you may have some fluffy kghn as a treat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo this was supposed to be a throwaway scene in a future chapter, but then i got sad and i wanted to write fluffy developing relationship stuff, so i made it into its own chapter, even if it’s kinda short. there is some foreshadowing for future chapters, but i’d honestly be shocked if anyone caught it.
> 
> if you’re here for the plot over the romance, we’ll be getting back to that next chapter, i promise! i just wanted to indulge in some fluff. 
> 
> enjoy!

“Are you gonna stand there all day, dumbass, or are we going to my house?”

Hinata jolted and spun on his heel to see Kageyama standing at the school entrance, arms folded and eyes narrowed.

“Yes! Here! Ready!” Hinata yelled, bouncing up on his toes. Kageyama rolled his eyes, knocking Hinata with his shoulder as he walked by, a clear invitation to follow. He walked fast, all long legs and massive strides, leaving Hinata scrambling to keep up, even with his superpowered speed. 

“So! How’s volleyball?” Hinata asked when he’d finally caught up, shoving his hands firmly into his jacket pockets. “If you’re all  _ super busy  _ all the time, it’s gotta be interesting, right?” 

Kageyama scoffed, rolling his eyes. 

At least he wasn’t biting Hinata’s head off. 

“Volleyball is the best. Duh,” he said, as if it were obvious. Hinata rolled his eyes in return. 

“Well, yeah,  _ obviously. _ But I’m talking about specifics! Oikawa was talking the other day about some special toss you keep staying super late to practice…?” 

Kageyama sighed, glancing down at him out of the corner of his eye. “If you’re so interested, why didn’t you join the team?” 

Hinata opened his mouth to respond, then closed it sharply, glaring down at the floor in front of him sourly. “I wanted to. I was too short.”

“O-Oh. Sorry, I guess,” Kageyama muttered, purposefully staring the other direction. “I-I didn’t mean it… like that.”

Hinata waved a dismissive hand, biting back the bitter sting in the back of his throat. “It’s fine, really! I’m over it. Besides, I wouldn’t have gotten my internship if I’d gotten on the team, so all’s well that ends well, I guess!”

Kageyama frowned down at him, eyes narrowed, as if he’d seen straight through the forcibly cheery facade. Hinata laughed shakily, boldly poking a finger at the creasing between his eyebrows. 

“Don't be all Grouchy-yama! I’ll start to think you really are worried about me!” He joked, only half kidding. 

Kageyama’s frown just deepened. 

‘What’s this project about, anyways?” Hinata asked after a moment, trying to change the topic. Kageyama stared at him heavily for a few more seconds before he nodded, accepting the shift in subject matter. 

“Comic theory, right? Research some old guys who looked at stuff under microscopes and write about them,” Kageyama replied. 

_ “Atomic  _ theory, I think,” Hinata corrected, making Kageyama scowl. “It’s about  _ atoms, _ ‘Yama, it’s  _ atomic.” _

“Don’t call me that,” Kageyama snapped, glaring sharply. Hinata laughed. 

“You’re just mad you got it wrong! Don’t take it out on me, Yama-Yama-kun,” he teased, making his companion scowl even harder. 

Hinata felt surprisingly… light, talking to Kageyama. Like the weight on his shoulders hadn’t been lifted, exactly, but it had certainly gotten easier to bear. The jokes took less effort, the laughter felt more real. After a day of stressing over whether Ushijima would try to contact him again, it was nice to let go a little. 

Kageyama definitely seemed more relaxed, too. Despite the glaring, which  _ still  _ hadn’t let up since yesterday - all through school that day, Hinata had felt a sharp pair of eyes on his back - he seemed to… not hate Hinata as much. Which was a relief. 

It’s a wonder what talking someone down from a panic attack in an abandoned alleyway can do for your friendship. 

“If you’re so good at  _ atomic theory,  _ who are we doing our project on?” Kageyama asked snidely, glaring down his nose. 

Hinata thought for a long moment. “...Jesus Christ?”

Kageyama stopped walking. He stared at Hinata, dumbfounded. “What?”

Hinata flushed. “I don’t know, I was just brainstorming important guys who lived a super long time ago! It was just an idea!” He said defensively, crossing his arms across his chest. 

“And you landed on  _ Jesus?”  _ Kageyama replied incredulously, eyes wide. 

“You thought it was  _ comic  _ theory, when it’s literally the theory of  _ atoms!” _

Now it was Kageyama’s turn to go red, turning his head sharply away and marching forward, leaving Hinata scrambling to keep up.

“Are you going to be this stupid all afternoon?” Kageyama asked, turning the corner sharply. 

“Are you gonna be this grumpy?” Hinata replied petulantly, pouting just a little. 

“You’re such an idiot,” Kageyama grumbled. Hinata just stuck his tongue out. 

The rest of the walk to Kageyama’s house was spent in not-quite-awkward silence. Every once in a while, Kageyama would open his mouth, as if to say something, then seemingly think better of it and turn away, glaring off into the distance. 

It was almost as stressful as the glaring. 

By the time they’d turned onto a quiet side street, a ten minute walk from the school, Hinata felt like he was going to burst out of his skin if the awkward silence kept up for another second. 

“Don't mind my sister,” Kageyama said as he unlocked the gate in front of a modest blue house with a meticulous garden. “She’s almost as annoying as you.”

Hinata gasped in offense, about to offer a scathing and certain-to-be-clever reply, but was cut off by a yell coming from the front door. 

“Tobio! Oh, my  _ God,  _ did you actually bring a friend home?”

Hinata grinned. 

The young woman at the door was quite obviously the sister in question; her sharp features and dark hair bore an incredible resemblance to the boy at Hinata’s side. 

“Shut up, Miwa. He’s here for a school project. Don’t bother him,” Kageyama grouched, stomping up the front stairs of his porch, leaving Hinata to once more scramble to keep up. 

“You seem like a nice kid,” Miwa called out as Hinata passed her on his way inside. “Don't let Tobio corrupt you!”

Kageyama let out a string of filthy curses from inside the house. Hinata laughed loudly. 

“I won’t, ma’am!” He called back, waving. 

“So polite! Take notes, Tobio!” Miwa laughed. 

More curses from inside.

“Don't be Vulgar-yama, it’s rude,” Hinata scolded as he slipped his shoes off, leaving them by the door. Kageyama turned his head to level Hinata with a scathing glare as he hung up his jacket. 

“What is it with you and nicknames?” He muttered, scowling. “Can’t you just call me my name?”

Hinata jutted his lower lip out, pouting just slightly. “That’s no fun! If you’re being Grumpy-yama, I feel a personal responsibility to tell you that.”

Kageyama huffed, turning away to march up the stairs at the end of the hall. 

“Don't be Sulky-yama!” Hinata called after him, laughing when Kageyama shoved his middle finger out behind him without even bothering to turn around. 

A hand on Hinata’s shoulder made him nearly jump out of his skin. He threw an apologetic smile back to Miwa standing by his side when she yanked her hand back concernedly. 

“S-Sorry,” Hinata stammered embarrassedly. “I’ve been a little on edge recently.”

Miwa narrowed her eyes, looking more than a bit worried. 

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have grabbed you from behind like that. Are you sure you’re alright?” She asked.

Hinata waved her off dismissively, but his heart was still pounding. “I’m fine! Thank you, though!”

Miwa looked him up and down appraisingly. Hinata felt extraordinarily vulnerable under her sharp gaze, like she could peel back his facade and find the scared little boy beneath the spider suit. 

Maybe she saw that, maybe she didn’t. Either way, she didn’t say anything about it, instead offering him a small smile and gesturing up the stairs the way Kageyama had stomped away. 

“You shouldn’t keep my brother waiting. He’s not exactly the most patient person,” she warned, not unkindly. Hinata gave her what he hoped was a reassuring nod before dashing up the stairs. The door to what he assumed to be Kageyama’s bedroom was already open at the end of the hall, the corner of a neatly made bed just barely visible from where Hinata stood at the top of the stairs. 

He gave himself one steadying breath before he pushed the door the rest of the way open, revealing Kageyama sitting on a desk chair, writing something on a piece of paper. 

“Whoa! Your room- it’s so  _ clean!”  _ Hinata cried out incredulously, eyes darting between the immaculately organized desk and the wrinkle-free duvet on the bed. There wasn’t a spec on dust on any of the shelves, and the floor was completely bare of clothes and other knick knacks, very much unlike Hinata’s own. 

Miwa’s teasing voice sounded from down the hall. “It’s not usually like this! He cleaned for hours yesterday!”

Kageyama slammed the door shut as quickly as he could, but Miwa’s chiming laughter still resonated, loud and clear. Hinata bit back a chuckle, afraid of angering him, but too amused to keep a straight face. 

Kageyama was so _strange_ sometimes. Who else would get so embarrassed about cleaning their room? Hinata’s mother was always on his case about being more tidy, he was sure she’d love an organized son like Kageyama.

“I told you, she’s annoying. Hopefully, she’ll leave us alone,” Kageyama muttered, pacing back over to his chair and sitting heavily. 

Hinata watched him as he pulled an old computer out from one of his desk drawers, flipping it open and huffing as it started to turn on slowly. 

Not wanting to be too obvious with his staring, Hinata took a moment to glance around the room. Lots of volleyball trophies, gold and shiny and, surprisingly, tucked away in the corner, not on display like the ones he’d seen at Oikawa’s house. There were only a few pictures on the bedside table, and even then, only one of them was framed. An older man, with one hand on a teenage Miwa’s shoulder, and another on the top of a very young Kageyama’s head. The other pictures were various team photos and newspaper cutouts from Kageyama’s volleyball career, but none of them were framed like the one of the old man. 

Hinata glanced back at Kageyama, who was still glaring at the start up screen on his computer. 

“Stop staring at my stuff, dumbass,” Kageyama grumbled without even turning around. Hinata squeaked, then scowled, crossing his arms over his chest and sticking his chin out. 

“You don’t even know if I was doing that,” he argued petulantly, purposefully staring back at the pictures. 

Kageyama scoffed. “Of course you were, dumbass. You’re an idiot,” he stated plainly, as if that explained everything. Hinata huffed. 

The computer made an obnoxious sound, chiming like a demented musical instrument from hell, and Kageyama let out a little sigh of relief. 

The screen flashed white for a moment, then flickered to life to show a news article, presumably pulled up from the last time Kageyama had used his computer. 

**_Spider-man: Who Is the Man Under the Suit?_ ** the large, bolded title read. 

Kageyama slammed the computer shut before Hinata could blink. 

Silence hung heavy in the room for a long, long minute. 

“What… was that?” Hinata asked quietly, after they’d sat in an awkward quiet for what felt like a hundred years.

“Nothing,” was Kageyama’s immediate reply. He wouldn’t look Hinata in the eye, staring resolutely out the window above his desk. 

“Was that… an article about Spider-man?” Hinata whispered, more disbelieving than anything. 

“No.” Kageyama continued to stare into the distance. 

Hinata’s eyes widened. 

_ This is so weird. This is so weird. This is so fucking weird.  _

“Uh… We don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to,” Hinata said, voice barely above a whisper. Kageyama nodded stiffly, angling the computer so that Hinata couldn’t see the screen before he opened it again, the sound of angry clicking filling the tense silence. 

“Don’t tell Oikawa.” 

Hinata’s head snapped up from where he’d had his eyes glued to the floor. Kageyama still refused to look at him, but the computer screen was blank once again. The back of his neck was weirdly red. 

“Why not?” Hinata asked curiously, sitting heavily on the bed. He felt a bit guilty about messing up the perfect sheets. 

“You’re all…  _ best friends  _ with him now, aren’t you?” Kageyama grumbled angrily. “And you know how he is. Oikawa doesn’t like him. Spider-man. He’s got some weird… prejudice against him.”

Hinata tugged his lip between his teeth, worrying at it instinctively. “I don’t think he feels… that strongly. But I won’t say anything.” 

Tension visibly melted from Kageyama’s shoulders, leaving Hinata to stare at his back, utterly confused when Kageyama didn’t say anything else about it. 

_ So weird.  _

“Uh… anyways,” Hinata managed to say. “Atomic theory!” 

—————

Hinata flopped back onto the bed, yawning widely. After four hours of researching the most boring men to walk the face of the Earth, their project was complete. In all honesty, Hinata wasn’t sure he could remember the name of the subject they chose, something about plum pudding or something equally weird. 

“Do you have the rubric?” Kageyama asked as he walked back into the room after printing their paper out in his sister’s office space. “We have to staple it to the front.”

Hinata gestured vaguely to his bag, which was slumped against the opposite wall. 

“Front pocket, should be in a red folder.” 

The second Kageyama knelt down in front of the bag, an uncomfortable tingle zipped up Hinata’s spine, making him instinctively jump up and throw his hands out. 

“Stop!” Hinata cried, his mind catching up to his sixth sense and remembering the very iconic, very obvious Spider-man suit folded up in his backpack. 

Kageyama froze, one hand already on the bag’s zipper. 

“You actually can’t!” Hinata finished lamely, hands still braces in front of him. Kageyama turned around slowly, fixing him with a level stare. 

“I can’t what?” He asked incredulously. 

“You can’t look in my bag!” Hinata replied urgently, taking a step forward. 

“Why the hell not?” Kageyama responded angrily, eyes narrowing. “What are you hiding in there?”

_ Shit, shit, shit. Think of something! Anything! Think of anything!  _

“Porn! I-I mean drugs! Er- both! Porn and drugs! L-Lots of it!”

Kageyama just stared at him. 

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Hinata flushed, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. “Fine! You got me. I don’t have any porn. Or drugs. But you can’t go in my backpack! You- You just… can’t.”

_ Way to go. You handled that  _ incredibly _ well. Good one.  _

“You’re such an idiot,” Kageyama muttered, reaching back down for the backpack. For a terrifying moment, Hinata thought he was going to open it anyways, but instead, he picked it up and tossed it over, letting Hinata sheepishly grab the folder and pass it back to his waiting hands. 

“So… That’s it, right? Project complete?” Hinata asked awkwardly as Kageyama stapled the rubric to the essay. 

“Yeah.”

Hinata nodded to himself, fiddling with the zipper on his bag. “I should probably go. It’s getting late.”

Kageyama glanced up at him. “We walked here from school. Where’s your bike?”

“How did you know I bike?”

Kageyama turned back to the paper in a rush. “You’re so obnoxious every morning, nearly crashing into people at the front gate,” he muttered in explanation.

“Oh,” Hinata replied sheepishly. “Right. Ah, well, I’m getting a ride. I texted a half hour ago, so they’ll be here any minute.”

Kageyama nodded in lieu of a response, unceremoniously shoving the paper back into Hinata’s folder and dropping it onto his lap as he walked by. 

“I’m gonna… get my shoes on, then,” Hinata announced somewhat awkwardly. He felt guilty - his freakout about Kageyama seeing his suit had turned the air around them tense and strained, the easy conversation of just a few minutes ago suddenly feeling stilted and forced. 

“You do that.”

Hinata nodded to Kageyama’s back before he hopped off the bed and padded down the stairs. Miwa poked her head into the hallway from where she stood in what looked like the kitchen.

“Are you heading out?” She asked, untying an apron from around her waist and hanging it up beside the door frame. 

“Ah- yeah,” Hinata said, bending over to slip his foot into a shoe. Miwa smiled at him, walking over to grab his coat off of the rack and passed it over. 

“Even if it’s just for a school project, I’m glad you came over,” she said quietly, glancing up the stairs to make sure Kageyama wouldn’t make an appearance. “Tobio doesn’t make friends easily. You seem like a good kid.”

Hinata felt his cheeks go warm. “I-I wouldn’t say we’re f-friends, exactly,” he stammered, rubbing at the back of his neck. Miwa frowned. “N-Not because I don’t want to be! Kageyama just… I don’t think he likes me much.”

Miwa sighed, looking frustrated and fond in the way only older siblings can. 

“Trust me, kid. Even if he doesn’t want to admit it, it’s a big deal that he invited you over, even if it’s just for school. That counts for a lot, in Tobio’s book.”

Hinata pulled his lower lip between his teeth. “Really?”

Miwa grinned slyly, sending a shiver down Hinata’s spine. “Oh, yeah. In fact, he’s always telling me-”

“Are you going to your stupid internship or are you going home?” Kageyama interrupted, casting a suspicious glance between Hinata and his sister as he made his way down the stairs. Miwa winked at him. 

“Uh- Internship.”

Kageyama nodded. “Fine. Don’t die on the way there, or whatever.” 

Hinata grinned. “You do care!”

Miwa laughed cheerfully, reaching over to ruffle Kageyama’s hair, making him scowl. 

“I _don’t_ care. If you die, I have to do this presentation by myself,” he grumbled, glaring at some space to the left of Hinata’s head. 

A car honked outside, making all three of them jolt. Hinata smiled sheepishly, opening the front door to wave in acknowledgement to Kuroo, who was sitting driver’s side in one of Karasuno’s cars. 

“What the hell is  _ he  _ doing here?” Kageyama muttered from behind him. Hinata looked back at him, confused. 

“I told you, I’m getting a ride,” he said simply, because,  _ really? Was it that big of a deal? _

Kageyama let out a  _ tch  _ of disapproval, turning around and stomping back up the stairs without so much as a goodbye. Miwa watched him go, looking thoughtful. 

“Al...right. I guess that means I should leave,” Hinata said, internally wincing at how awkward he sounded. “Thank you for having me, Kageyama-san!”

Miwa smiled down at him as he dashed down the steps, waving once more at Kuroo as he unlocked the gate. 

“Fun date?” Kuroo asked the moment Hinata shut the car door behind him. 

“Shut up! We were working on a school project!” Hinata replied hotly, punching Kuroo’s arm. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” Kuroo laughed as he pulled away from the curb and sped down the street. “By the way, Takeda wants to talk to you when you get in. He and Kenma finally finished that radio piece in your mask, they’re probably gonna ask you to try it out tonight.”

“Radio piece?” Hinata asked. “Like, the one that makes it so you guys can talk to me while I’m out on patrol?”

Kuroo nodded. “Kenma stayed up all night yesterday putting the finishing touches on.  You better say thank you.”

“Of course I will!” Hinata replied defensively. 

Kuroo gave him a sly grin and a sidelong glance. “But seriously. How was the date?”

“Shut  _ up,  _ Kuroo!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fluffy kghn... 
> 
> all i can say is: enjoy it while it lasts.
> 
> i really do love miwa, i’m really glad i was able to fit her into this fic. 
> 
> also! for anyone upset that oikawa isn’t joining the team the way kenma and kuroo did: yeah, me too. i really wanted him to, but i’ve already established that the volleyball team has a rigorous schedule, and i really couldn’t work my way around that. so, oikawa is in on the secret, but i wouldn’t go as far as to call him a member of karasuno quite yet. 
> 
> thank you all for reading!! even if i’m terrible at replying to comments (i am, and i am so sorry) know that i’ve seen your comment and loved and appreciated it, even i don’t reply. hugs and kisses to all of you :D <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> how many burning building does tokyo have (the answer is too many)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys i’m not going to kill hinata 
> 
> i think i scared a lot of you with that end note last time - my bad. but also it was funny. this story won’t get crazy angsty (it will have angst though hehe) but i just wanted you all to savor the fluffy kghn because i’m not sure how often that’ll happen in these next chapters - the plot is finally picking up!!
> 
> this chapter might seem pointless at first, but i swear there’s a reason it’s here you just don’t know it yet

Hinata released another web, sending himself careening around the corner of the busy street. He tried his best to ignore the shouting and the gawking coming from the people below, all clamoring for a look at Spider-Man on patrol. 

Hinata let out a small sigh as he launched another web. 

It wasn’t turning out to be much of a patrol. 

One purse snatcher - caught within seconds. That was the fruit of his labor, of an afternoon spent swinging around the city like a modern day Tarzan, and he’d caught  _ one purse snatcher. _

“What’s going on, Shouyou?” 

Hinata jolted, nearly missing his next web shot and just barely avoiding a major crash into a billboard covered in comically large cats. Kenma’s voice was so close to his ear, it felt like he was practically inside his head. At least they’d modified the volume since yesterday - they’d nearly blown Hinata’s eardrum last time they tested the comms. 

“Not much. The streets seem pretty quiet,” Hinata replied when he regained himself, his voice coming out low and distorted thanks to the vocal modulator Takeda had decided to add with the earpiece as a precaution.

“Good, that’s good... There’s a fire two blocks north of school,” Kenma said quietly, making Hinata narrowly avoid splatting on the side of a building for the second time in as many minutes. 

_ “What?”  _ Hinata cried, launching a web to send him careening back the other direction. “Why didn’t you say that first?”

“It felt rude,” Kenma said quietly. Hinata let out a semi crazed laugh, tugging sharply on his web and sending himself leapfrogging above the roof of a police station. 

_ “Rude?  _ Kenma, I promise, if there’s a burning building somewhere, that’s more important than the pleasantries!” Hinata exclaimed, swerving to avoid a telephone pole. 

“Oh. Right,” Kenma said. “Well, there’s a burning building two blocks away from the school.”

“Well,  _ yeah,  _ I know that  _ now,”  _ Hinata cried out exasperatedly. “I’m saying that should come  _ before  _ the ‘how’s it going’, Kenma!”

“I’ll do that next time,” Kenma agreed. Hinata could faintly hear Kuroo cackling his hyena laugh in the background and chuckled to himself. 

“Okay- Okay, just… which building?” Hinata asked as he careened around the next corner. 

“It’s the one by the corner store that’s under construction. You know, with the big fence out front?” Kenma said in Hinata’s ear. 

“Right, okay. Do you know how many people might be inside?”

Kenma was quiet for a moment, but the sound of computer keys clicking carried over the comm. 

“Ah, looks like… Five. At most. Fire department is arriving in T-minus fifteen minutes,” Kenma answered, making Hinata swear under his breath. 

“Fifteen minutes? The station is ten minutes away!” He muttered. “I’ll be there in two.”

Heart pounding in his ears, he launched a new web and yanked, sending him flying over the park block in front of him. A small child cried out in wonder somewhere below him, but Spider-Man didn’t have time to stop and chat. 

The smell of smoke hit him before he could even see the building. 

Mumbling a curse, Hinata swung to a stop, perching lightly on top of the roof across the street. A small crowd was gathered outside, but not many, not enough to get in the way. Flames were concentrated on the left side, but-

“Spider-man! He’s here! It’s Spider-man!”

Hinata whipped his head down to see the crowd staring up at him, pointing and yelling. 

That was… new. 

Hinata hesitantly nodded to the clamoring crowd before he looked away, unable to keep his eyes from the bright flames licking their way out of the building’s unfinished window frames. 

A shiver ran down his spine. 

The best entry would be the top left window frame, but he’d need to make sure he didn’t get trapped somewhere without a stable floor. The best course of action would be starting at the top and moving down, just in case the building started to collapse in on itself. 

Well. That was that, then. 

With a sharp exhale, Hinata flung his wrist out and launched a web, sending himself flying neatly through the unfinished window he’d been aiming for. He rolled on landing, springing back up within seconds. 

_ Note to self: Thank Daichi for teaching me to roll properly.  _

The room he’d landed in was hot, but he couldn’t see any flames. The floor seemed relatively finished, but he couldn’t be certain that his footing was safe. Bringing a hand up to his ear, he pressed on the comm. 

“Kenma! Do you have any kind of visual on this?” Hinata hissed into the earpiece. The sound of a clicking keyboard paused before it started back up again. 

“The third floor is the most unfinished. Fourth and fifth are probably safe enough to be on, but I would try and get down to the first two floors as soon as possible. They’re pretty much entirely done. I’d tell you that this was a great time to test out the thermal lens in your suit, but…”

Hinata sighed. “It’s a raging fire. Not gonna work.”

“Right. Use that… spider sense, or whatever it is you have.”

Hinata nodded to himself. “Got it. See you on the other side.”

The comm crackled in his ear, signaling Kenma’s departure. That left Hinata alone in the burning building. 

Well - alone saved for the others trapped inside.

With a short, smoke filled breath, Hinata started his sweep of the top floor. The first, second, and third rooms were all empty, save for a few stray pieces of trash and a couple cigarette butts. 

The fourth room was where Hinata found the first sign of life. A man, maybe forty, leaning out the window like he was trying to gauge if he could survive the jump. 

“No need for that, sir!” Hinata yelled, skidding to a stop next to him. The man jumped and spun around, tear tracks visible on his face. “Grab on!”

The man nodded, securing his arms around Hinata’s neck. Hinata gave him a thumbs up before he wrapped a web around a secure looking beam and climbed out the window like a spider - and how fitting was that?

When the man was back on the ground, Hinata touched his shoulder gently, making him startle. 

“Ah- Sorry. Do you know how many people are in there?” Hinata asked as gently as he could. 

The man, trembling slightly, nodded. “F-Five of us. Today. Everyone else w-was on the se-second floor.”

Hinata nodded, turning back to the building. “There’s a crowd out front. Fire department will be here soon!” He called over his shoulder as he jogged back to the wall and swung himself into the second floor window. 

One down, four to go. 

The second floor was obviously closer to the source of the flames. Putrid smoke filtered through his mask and into his lungs, making him cough. A faint smell that reminded Hinata of a gas station hung heavy in the air, but he pushed on. 

The next two workers were a cinch, huddling together in the second room Hinata checked. He took them down to the crowd one at a time, relieved to see the first man sitting on the curbside with a blanket around his shoulders. There was a stern looking woman who seemed to have taken charge, and he flashed her a quick thumbs up before he dashed back into the building. 

The second two were not as simple as the first. 

Three rooms in, and Hinata still hadn’t located either of them. Of course, there was the possibility that they’d made it out themselves, but some voice in the back of his mind was telling him that wasn’t the case. 

The smoke was getting thicker, and bright, stifling flames were starting to close in. The top three floors were probably done for - Hinata was grateful his instincts had told him to start at the top. The heat was nearly stifling as he shoved a fallen beam aside to push into the next room. A massive chunk of the ceiling had caved in, giving a straight view to the sky, all the way from the second floor. 

There, in the center of the floor, one man kneeled over another, hands fisted tightly in his shirt. 

His bloodied shirt. 

Letting out a filthy string of curses under his breath, Hinata ran to them, kneeling opposite the other man. 

“Sp-Spider-man?” He said, before a coughing fit began racking his body. Hinata glanced between the coughing man and the one on the floor frantically. 

“His leg. It broke-” Another coughing fit interrupted him and Hinata winced. The smoke inhalation was probably going to get to him before he had the chance to save his friend. “We couldn’t move.”

Hinata nodded, glancing down at where the man’s leg twisted unnaturally at the knee. 

“Then- screwdriver- from the top floor,” he wheezed, nodding his head at the instrument protruding from his lower abdomen. 

Hinata couldn’t help the bile that rose up in his throat at the sight, but he pushed it back down. 

“Can you move?” Hinata asked, letting out a breath of relief when the coughing man nodded. “Okay.  _ Don't  _ take the screwdriver out. Apply pressure around the wound.” 

The man nodded firmly, shuffling over and placing his hands on his abdomen. 

_ Second note to self: Thank Suga for teaching me how to treat a stab wound.  _

Satisfied, Hinata stood, glancing around the room. He needed to get both of them out of the smoke, but it was far too dangerous to move the injured one. Damn. 

“Kenma, how long until the paramedics show up?” Hinata asked, pressing his comm. 

“Three minutes. Why?” Came Kenma’s reply, calm as ever. 

“I can’t move someone - he’s too injured. I think…” Hinata trailed off, glancing around. One door, three windows. Open the windows to improve air flow, seal the door, reinforce the ceiling beams and make sure the hole didn’t get any bigger…

But first, get the uninjured man out. 

Striding over to the window, Hinata moved to open it. And couldn’t. He tried again. No luck. 

“Bolted shut,” the man wheezed from somewhere behind him. “It’s protocol.”

“Okay,” Hinata muttered to himself. “Okay, this is easy, just…” he trailed off, scanning the room for something he could use. 

There! 

A discarded hammer lay on the floor a few feet away, along with an array of other tools. Had an entire toolbox fallen on them? What terrible luck. 

Shrugging it off, Hinata glanced out the nearest window to confirm that he wouldn’t hit any passerby, then swung as hard as he could. The glass shattered on impact, sending shards clattering to the ground below them. 

_ Oops,  _ Hinata thought a bit guilty as he swept the edges with the hammer until there weren’t any jagged edges left. 

“Right,” Hinata said, turning back to face the two men. “Grab on. We have to make this quick.”

“I can’t leave-” he started protesting, but Hinata cut him off. 

“If the smoke inhalation kills you, how can you save him?” He snapped, making the man’s eyes widen dramatically. Hinata jerked his head towards the broken window, then gestured to himself. 

“Grab on,” he repeated, and this time, the man complied, wrapping shaking arms around his neck and, once Hinata had begun his descent down the wall, fitting his legs around Hinata’s waist. 

“The ground is covered with broken glass, let me get you somewhere safer,” Hinata instructed, feeling the man nod against the back on his neck. Shooting a web to the branch of a nearby oak tree, he sent them flying over the jagged shards, practically dropping the other man on the grass the second they landed. 

“Crowd is out front!” Hinata called as he swung himself back across the field, diving back through the broken window. 

The man’s eyes were open now, and he was frantically looking around him. Hinata skidded over, kneeling in front of him and waving a hand over his face. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, you’re okay!” He reassured, giving his wounded body a quick once over and gritting his teeth. 

“Who’re you?” The man slurred out. Delirious from blood loss, perhaps?

“I’m just your friendly neighborhood Spider-man,” Hinata stated, moving to put pressure on his wound. The man groaned, but Hinata didn’t let up. 

“You’re doing great. Once the paramedics get here, we’ll get you on a stretcher and haul you out of here,” he said placatingly. The man nodded weakly. 

Hinata glanced around, then brought a finger up to his comm. 

“How long?” He asked, hoping his meaning was clear. 

“A block away,” Kenma replied. Hinata let out a sigh of relief. Sending a web out to seal the crack at top of the door for good measure, Hinata turned back to the man, who was blinking up at him blearily. 

“Hold on for a few more minutes, ‘kay?” Hinata asked, tilting his head to listen for a telltale sound of sirens. Close, and quickly getting closer. “I’ll be right back.”

The man groaned beneath him, and Hinata gave him a light squeeze on the shoulder before standing up and striding over to the window looking out over the crowd. A bright red truck was pulling up and Hinata sighed in relief, dashing back to his broken window and swinging his way out. 

He swung to a stop in front of the nearest ambulance, waving frantically. The paramedic who was driving visibly flinched in shock, making Hinata wince, but he plowed on, skidding to the driver’s side door and pulling it open. 

“Spider-man?” The woman spluttered.

_ Man,  _ it was weird to have everyone recognize him. 

“Yes, that’s me,” Hinata brushed it off. “There’s a man in there, he was stabbed by a screwdriver when the ceiling over him collapsed. Losing blood. I didn’t want to move him, and he’s got a pretty badly broken leg.”

The woman nodded, taking it in stride. “Can you take someone up there with you?” Hinata nodded. “Usui. You go. Make sure he’s stable.”

The man in the passenger’s seat  nodded, unbuckling his seatbelt and scrambling out the car door. 

Hinata jogged back to the broken window with the man following close behind, then gestured for him to grab on. The paramedic complied, and they were through the window in no time. 

The paramedic jumped into action immediately, leaving Hinata to send a few webs up to the ceiling as a reinforcement precaution. Who knows how long they’d be in here? 

Hinata’s ears pricked at the sound of water rushing. Putting out the fire already, that was good. It was a weight off of Hinata’s chest. 

“Spider-man,” the paramedic ordered suddenly. “Get a stretcher from one of the ambulances. We’ll use your web... things to send him down on that.”

Hinata gave him a thumbs up and followed orders, returning a moment later with a stretcher and a bundle of gauze. 

It was precarious, moving the poor man, but between the two of them, they made it work. Sending him down was a struggle, too, but with the help of Hinata’s webs, he made it down eventually. It was only when the man was safely sent into an ambulance, speeding away to the nearest hospital, that Hinata was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. 

The police had arrived at some point, and were now standing around, talking intensely among themselves. Maybe about that gas station smell? It had seemed a bit out of place…

Hinata shrugged it off and turned the other direction. He wasn’t quite ready to face any kind of press yet, and he knew that talking to the police would be a one way ticket to the tabloids. Anything could give him away at this point. Mannerisms, turns of phrase… even with his new vocal modulator, it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park trying to keep his identity a secret. 

He’d barely made it a block away from the scene when a sharp shiver racked his body, making all the hair on his body stand on end. Immediately on edge Hinata tensed, only to hear a deep voice speak from behind him. 

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Tokyo’s own superhero, walking around on his own two feet.”

Hinata’s blood ran cold. 

“What’s wrong, Spider-man? Your webs not working?”

A new voice, now. One he didn’t recognize. But he could make a guess as to who it belonged to. 

“Don't antagonize him, Tendou. We’re here to reach out a hand, not to make an enemy”

Hinata bit back the urge to scream - out of frustration or fear, he didn’t quite know. Turning slowly, he came face to face with three men. 

Ushijima Wakatoshi stood front and center - no surprise there. On his right was Tendou Satori, Hinata recognized him easily enough from the photos Suga had shown them. His eyes were somehow more terrifying in person. The other man was someone Hinata didn’t know - shorter and younger than both Ushijima and Tendou, with dark, choppy bangs and a determined look in his eye. 

“Hello, Spider-man,” Ushijima greeted, his voice low and menacing. 

Hinata said nothing. 

“Cat got your tongue?” Tendou crooned, leaning an arm on Ushijima’s shoulder. Hinata suppressed a shiver, but still refused to speak.

“Didn’t you get our message, Spider-man?” The man on Ushiwaka’s left asked, his voice just a tad too nasal to sound truly menacing. 

Hinata nodded stiffly, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“And…?” Tendou prompted, raising an eyebrow slyly. “Whaddya say, Spidey?” 

Throat tight, Hinata swallowed. “I’m going to have to decline,” he said, somewhat sharply. A silent thank you to Takeda for thinking of the vocal modulator and installing it so quickly was sent into the air. 

Tendou pouted, but his eyes stayed borderline frantic. “That’s a shame, Spidey… A  _ real  _ shame.” 

God, his voice was like nails on a chalkboard. 

“I’m sure we can work  _ something  _ out,” Ushijima reasoned, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t see why you would turn down an offer like this.”

Hinata was grateful his mask covered up his wince. “Do I need a reason?” 

Tendou snorted. “Cheeky, this one, isn’t he? I think like you, Spidey.” 

Hinata did not want Tendou Satori to like him. 

“You know…” Tendou continued, leaning forward. “That suit of yours really is something. Who made it for you?” 

Hinata tightened the arms folded over his chest, tight enough that he could feel his heart pounding. 

“Familiar… Quite familiar…” Tendou drawled, looking him up and down. Ushijima narrowed his eyes as well, flickering down his legs and over his chest. Hinata tensed at their intense gazes. 

“If that’s all, I’ll be going now,” Hinata said, as sharply as he could, taking extra care to keep his voice even. He spun around on his heel, and managed to take one step before a series of voices called out to him. 

“Holy shit- Guys, it’s Spider-man!” 

“No way, really?”   


“Oikawa, you can finally meet him!”

Oh, no. 

No fucking way.

Absolutely  _ no way.  _

There was absolutely no way this could possibly be happening. 

“Spider-man! Hey! Do you recognize me?! Spider-man!” Nishinoya yelled, jogging up to him. 

_ I recognize you pretty fucking clearly,  _ Hinata thought bitterly. 

He had to get out of there, that much was a given. Oikawa’s eyes were frantic as he and Iwaizumi trailed behind Nishinoya and Tanaka, who were running towards him, nearing full speed. The rest of the team had stayed behind, lingering at the street corner. 

“Look, Shittykawa, now you can finally stop pretending-” Iwaizumi cut himself off, his narrowing at the space over Hinata’s shoulder. “What the hell are  _ you  _ doing here?”   


Tendou chuckled. Ushijima cleared his throat. 

“I’m simply here with a business proposition for a local superhero. I didn’t have any way of knowing that Oikawa Tooru would show up. Can you fault me for being in the wrong place at the wrong time?” Ushijima said diplomatically, but his calm facade sounded chillingly fake. 

“I can fault you for being a prick,” Iwaizumi mumbled. 

“Azumane Asahi!” Tendou cried out suddenly, making Hinata freeze where he stood. “Ushi, remember? He was in our college class! He went travelling the world after graduation!”

“Yes, he was quite close with Sugawara Koushi, if I remember correctly. What does Azumane Asahi have to do with this, Tendou?” Ushiwaka sighed tiredly. 

Hinata knew exactly what Azumane Asahi had to do with this. 

“That  _ suit!”  _ Tendou exclaimed. “I knew I recognized it from  _ somewhere.  _ Don’t you think it looks like some of the pieces Azumane made for his thesis project our senior year?” 

Ushijima hummed in agreement. Hinata tried and failed to make eye contact with Oikawa through the mask of his suit - his  _ damning  _ suit, apparently. 

“Now, why would you have a suit made by a guy in Italy, Spidey?” Tendou asked. “Unless, of course, you had a connection…”

“Is that why you rejected our offer, Spider-man?” Ushijima asked, and Hinata could feel his heart beating in his throat. “You wouldn’t happen to work for… Karasuno?”

“Karasuno?!” Nishinoya cried out suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention. “Say, Spider-man, you wouldn’t happen to know a guy named-”

A hand clamped over his mouth, courtesy of a frantic looking Oikawa. 

“That’s enough, Yuu-kun. We should go, now. I believe we’re interrupting,” he said, placing his other hand firmly on Tanaka’s shoulder and spinning them both around, marching them back the way they’d come. 

Hinata cast one look at Oikawa’s retreating form before he turned back around, leveling Ushijima with what he hoped was a steely gaze. 

“I don’t work with anybody. An old friend had connections with Azumane-san, but we don’t speak much,” he lied, praying he sounded convincing. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got places to be. 

Trying to ignore the shaking in his hands, Hinata flung a wrist out and let the momentum of his web pull him away and out of sight of Shiratorizawa’s men. 

Under his mask, as he flew over the streets of Tokyo, Hinata Shouyou began to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor spider-man :(
> 
> on another note - we hit 150 subscriptions on this fic!! that might not be a lot to some people, but it’s crazy to me. the thought of 150 people getting an email when i update is just so surreal. 
> 
> i hope this is holding up to your standards. i’ve been suffering some major writers block with this fic, so i’m sorry if it’s not up to par. you guys are super sweet, and your amazingly lovely comments always help. i love you all!!

**Author's Note:**

> i hope someone else who also loves spider-man/marvel as well as haikyu/anime finds this and takes as much joy in this concept as i do!!! 
> 
> thank you all so much for reading!!! i love and appreciate every kudos and comment, you guys keep my motivated and excited! i love you all! hugs and kisses <3


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